MN HOUSE PASSES HF 3683 BY 121-7 AND SETS NEW BIODIESEL STANDARD

 

On Thursday April 24,2008  the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a comprehensive Agriculture and Veterans Policy Bill that again puts Minnesota in a leadership position when it comes to renewable energy.

 

The bill, authored by State Representative Al Juhnke (DFL-Willmar), included initiatives from the Governor and members of both parties. It passed on a 121-7 vote.

 

"This bill reaffirms the state's commitment to renewable biofuels by establishing a new 20 percent biodiesel standard by the year 2015," said Juhnke, who chairs the MN House Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs Finance Committee. "This legislation again puts Minnesota the cutting edge of renewable fuel development.”

 

The legislation establishes a new biodiesel standard, which will be phased in over the next seven years. Currently, diesel fuel sold in the state must contain at least 2 percent biodiesel. That will increase to 5 percent by May 1, 2009, 10 percent by 2012 and 20 percent by 2015. The 10 percent and 20 percent standards would only be in effect from April through October and several off-ramps were included in the legislation in case there isn't enough biodiesel to meet demand or the price becomes an economical burden to end users.

 

Other agriculture policy highlights include the creation of a Livestock Investment Grant Program, strengthening of pesticide handling and application laws to protect the environment, efforts to combat Bovine TB, compromise on the rules regulating Animal Chiropractic and creation of a proposal to establish hemp as a cash crop in Minnesota that will only be put in place if the federal Drug Enforcement Agency authorizes commercial production in the U.S.

 

*LEGISLATIVE PROCESS EXPLANATION: As is the practice at the Legislature, the MN Senate passed their Omnibus Ag bill last week (SF3683) and sent it over to the House. The House version of the bill now goes back to the Senate where they will debate and most likely bring forward amendments, vote on it and send it to a Conference Committee for hammering out the final version of the bill.