Dear Friends,

As corn farming expands to meet the requirement for corn-ethanol, it harms California’s economy, environment, and the agricultural community. Stand with us to make sure that the corn ethanol mandate is reformed and these California values are protected!

The corn ethanol mandate, also known as the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), turned 10 in December2017. This federal policy requires increasing the amounts of plant-derived fuels to be blended into domestic gasoline. The federal policy’s noble aspirations have never materialized—and in reality it has led to serious harms for our environment. Growing corn for ethanol and using that ethanol in our engines has led to:

• Loss of huge swaths of grassland and wetland habitat
• Plowing under millions of acres of land that California’s commercial bees depend on for summer forage when they are not pollinating crops.
• Increased costs to farmers to pollinate almonds, alfalfa, melons, citrus, avocados, and sunflowers.
• Worsening California’s air quality and contribute to increased levels of ground-level ozone – which we all call smog.
• Higher prices for corn feed for dairies and ranches
• Damage to small motor vehicles and yard equipment engines
• Increasing fuel costs which harm California’s economy
• Reduced wildlife habitat damaging the recreation industry including duck and waterfowl hunting

It is time to fix this broken policy. There is a great opportunity to pass this reform in the upcoming session of Congress. We have a unique partnership between republican leaders in the House of Representatives, ranchers, the oil industry, duck-hunters, small motor users, and environmentalists– who are all working to reform the corn ethanol mandate with members of Congress from both parties.

Congress is looking to reform the corn-ethanol mandate in the renewable fuel standard this year—please add your voice so they know you want to stop further loss of grassland habitat and that we all deserve cleaner air!

To learn more about the need to reform the corn-ethanol mandate, to volunteer, or to share your story about how the corn-ethanol mandate has impacted you in California - visit our campaign page at: https://www.pcl.org/campaigns/reform-corn/.