South Dakota’s ethanol industry is under attack by Republican ideologues in Washington, DC. It’s a good thing our U.S. Representative sits on the powerful Agriculture Committee. Oh wait, that was Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.
Here’s Congresswoman Kristi Noem’s response: Be part of the leadership team that seeks to decimate the ethanol industry, and then attack the Environmental Protection Agency.
Amendments supported by Republican leadership for the FY 2011 Continuing Budget Resolution include a measure to prohibit the use of funds to increase the amount of ethanol content in gasoline to 15%, and to prohibit funding for the construction of ethanol blender pumps or of ethanol storage facilities.
Meanwhile, South Dakota Democratic Party Chairman, Ben Nesselhuf, reminds us: “While Rep. Noem has obeyed Republican Party demands to attack the EPA, those same Republican ideologues have worked with fifteen powerful special interest groups to gut funding for the ethanol industry.”
Rep. Noem is working with Republican ideologues, aka those that write her talking points, instead of being a leader for ethanol producers in South Dakota? Gasp.
The final word from Chairman Ben: “Representative Noem’s misplaced priorities will hurt South Dakota’s farmers and one of South Dakota’s most innovative industries. South Dakota deserves a leader who will put the interests of South Dakota before the interests of Washington ideologues.