October 30,2003

Grassley Praises President's Support for Ethanol, Biodiesel

M E M O R A N D U M

To: Reporters and editors
Re: President’s remarks on energy
Da: Thursday, Oct. 30, 2003

Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, and the lead Senate negotiatorin the conference committee on energy tax provisions, today made the following comment on the President's remarks on renewable energy sources.

“I want to thank the President for his positive words of support for ethanol and biodiesel inhis speech today. I also appreciate the President separately directing key administration officials toget engaged to seek a resolution to the House-Senate impasse over the energy bill. The fact is, President Bush is by far the most pro-renewable fuels president this nation’s ever had. He’s always kept his word.

“The President and I see eye-to-eye on the need for renewable energy sources. Today, he expressed his support for tax credits for wind and solar power, research on hydrogen fuel technology, ethanol from corn, and biodiesel from soy beans. He said we need to encourage both energy production and conservation and use existing resources in an environmentally friendly way. The Senate also wants a balanced energy bill. We want a bill that focuses equally on renewable energy, conservation, and traditional energy sources. The House approach so far hasn’t been balanced. It’sbeen tilted to oil and gas. That might be okay as a short-term strategy, but in the long-term, we haveto focus on alternative energy sources. God made only so much fossil fuel.”