JEFFERSON CITY – Gov. Jay Nixon will serve as the 2016 chairman of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition. The 33-state bipartisan organization was founded more than 20 years ago to increase the use of ethanol based fuels, decrease the nation’s dependence on imported energy resources, improve the environment and stimulate the national economy. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts will serve as vice-chair.
“For more than 20 years, the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition has worked in a bipartisan way to strengthen American energy independence and create jobs in rural communities,” Gov. Nixon said. “I look forward to working with Governor Ricketts to promote the production and use of biofuels because, in addition to diversifying our energy portfolio, they also give consumers more choices at the pump, reduce harmful emissions, and increase family incomes in rural America. I thank Governor Branstad for his outstanding leadership, and I look forward to building on his success.”
“I’m honored to serve as the next vice chairman of this organization, and will continue working to strengthen the energy independence of Nebraska and our country. Nebraska was one of the founding members of the Coalition, and the Coalition continues to play a major role in our nation’s energy policies, including the renewable fuel standard,” Gov. Ricketts said.
Missouri ranks 10th nationally in ethanol capacity, with a total of six majority farmer-owned ethanol plants that produce approximately 300 million gallons of ethanol each year. In 2011, according to a report by the Commercial Agriculture Program at the University of Missouri, the state’s ethanol industry generated $1.1 billion in economic output and sustained 1,575 jobs.
In addition to the 33 member states, the Coalition has an additional six worldwide members, including the countries of Brazil, Mexico, Sweden and Thailand; the province of Quebec, Canada; and the state of Queensland, Australia.
Missouri Governors Mel Carnahan and Bob Holden previously served as chairmen of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition in 1996 and 2002, respectively.
