State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HR0856

 
                                              LRB9216713RHrhB

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, Illinois produces more ethanol than any state in
 3    the United States; and

 4        WHEREAS, Illinois  produces  around  40%  of  the  United
 5    States' ethanol production; and

 6        WHEREAS,  Illinois  currently produces around 710 million
 7    gallons of ethanol annually from 275 million bushels of corn;
 8    and

 9        WHEREAS, At least one out of every six rows of corn grown
10    in Illinois is used for ethanol production; and

11        WHEREAS, Domestic, renewable and alternative  fuels  such
12    as ethanol and biodiesel offer hope for America's future; and

13        WHEREAS,  Ethanol  contains oxygen, and fuel blended with
14    ethanol reduces harmful exhaust emissions from vehicles; and

15        WHEREAS, Ethanol, when blended with gasoline, acts as  an
16    octane   enhancer,   reducing   the  need  for  such  harmful
17    substances as benzene and toluene in gasoline; and

18        WHEREAS, Ethanol blended fuels extend current supplies of
19    petroleum; and

20        WHEREAS, The use of ethanol and other biofuels would help
21    decrease our dependence on foreign oil; and

22        WHEREAS, The continued growth of  renewable  energy  will
23    continue  to  be  important  in delivering larger supplies of
24    clean, domestic power for America's growing economy; and

25        WHEREAS, Illinois has enacted  legislation  to  implement
26    the  phase-out  of the alternative motor fuel additive methyl
27    tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) in this State; and

28        WHEREAS,  A  recent  agreement  between  oil   companies,
 
                            -2-               LRB9216713RHrhB
 1    environmentalists,   and   agricultural  interests  may  help
 2    increase the use of ethanol and other biofuels over the  next
 3    decade; and

 4        WHEREAS,  The  Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) would boost
 5    ethanol production from the 2001 level of 1.7 billion gallons
 6    to 5 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2012; and

 7        WHEREAS, The agreement includes the phasing out of  MTBE;
 8    and

 9        WHEREAS, This agreement has brought most major interested
10    groups  toward  a  consensus  on  the  motor fuel composition
11    issue, and there are  substantial  reasons  to  believe  that
12    federal law will soon reflect this agreement; therefore be it

13        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
14    NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15    the State  of  Illinois  needs  to  protect  and  expand  the
16    production  and  use  of  biofuels  in  the  State; and be it
17    further

18        RESOLVED, That we urge the members of the  United  States
19    Congress  to  support  the  Renewable  Fuels Standard and the
20    elimination of MTBE; and be it further

21        RESOLVED, That suitable  copies  of  this  resolution  be
22    delivered  to  Senator Peter Fitzgerald, Senator Dick Durbin,
23    and each member of the  Illinois  delegation  in  the  United
24    States House of Representatives.

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