Senate Ag Committee Marks Up Revised Farm Bill with Key Biofuel Provisions
The US Senate Agriculture Committee is set to mark up a revised farm bill this week, which includes significant changes for corn biofuel demand and state budgets.
The draft text released by Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., delays first-time Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit costs faced by some states by one year. States with payment error rates between 6% and 10% will start contributing to SNAP costs in fiscal 2029 instead of 2028.
The proposed farm bill also adds language to allow year-round, voluntary sales of higher ethanol-fuel blends known as E15, which is a top priority for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. The measure would change how small oil refineries are dealt with under the Renewable Fuel Standard, the law behind biofuel-blending mandates.
The committee plans to hold a markup of the farm bill plan on Thursday. Clearing the path for an expansion of US ethanol is viewed by the ag industry as crucial for producers of the biofuel and farmers who grow the corn used to make it.