Energy Independence
MINNESOTA IS LEADING THE NATION IN RENEWABLE ENERGY
Senator Coleman is extremely proud to represent a state that is a national leader in the production and consumption of renewable fuels.
Almost all of Minnesota’s 2.6 billion gallons of gasoline are blended with 10 percent ethanol. Minnesota farm families own and operate 16 ethanol plants producing over 550 million gallons of ethanol. The facilities also produce thousands of jobs, billions of dollars per year in economic activity, and $15 million in tax revenues.
Minnesota proudly stands as the only state in the nation to enact a 2 percent biodiesel requirement on fuel production. To meet this growing demand, 2,400 hardworking farm families invested more than $32 million toward building a soybean processing facility near Brewster, Minnesota. The facility is expected to yield over 2,000 jobs, almost $400 million in new economic activity, and represents only the beginning of the endless potential of biodiesel energy.
Wind power is the fastest growing energy producer worldwide and Minnesota is at the forefront, ranking second in the nation in wind energy production with 115 facilities - 55 of them locally and farmer owned. In 2003 Senator Coleman flipped the switch to turn on the largest wind turbine in North America located near Dodge Center, Minneosta. The turbine stands 300 feet tall, produces 1.65 megawatts of power and will serve as the model for 61 new installations around the state.
Livestock are also proving to be an encouraging potential source of renewable energy. In Princeton, Minnesota a local dairy farmer uses waste from his 725 head herd to produce energy for 85 neighboring homes
Driving America Toward Energy Independence
Senator Coleman believes that America must strive to break our dependence on foreign energy or risk losing our national autonomy. Our continued dependence is, without a doubt, the greatest threat to our economy, our security, and our freedom.
Today, OPEC accounts for over 50 percent of our oil supplies, the majority of the world’s proven oil reserves are in the Middle East, and oil has been globally targeted by terrorists as a strategic vulnerability. If any one of these liabilities were exploited, it would have a catastrophic effect on our economy including massive job loss and the loss of output and tax revenue totaling in the hundreds of billions.
Faced with these difficult challenges, Senator Coleman works hard in Washington to spread the positive message of Minnesota’s success with new and renewable energy technologies. He’s worked to pass legislation that will increase production of biofuels, wind, biomass, and clean coal energy. He also supports building a vibrant renewable fuels industry in this country by giving farmers the support they need in the Farm Bill, continuing to expand America’s ethanol infrastructure, and developing flex fuel technologies.
Senator Coleman is building a strong Energy Title in the farm bill from his seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, and has introduced several bipartisan bills to free America from foreign energy dependence, including the Dependence Reduction through Innovation in Vehicles and Energy Act (DRIVE Act) that now enjoys 24 cosponsors in the Senate.