Renewable Fuels group spent $259,000 3Q lobbying

[December 19, 2011]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Renewable Fuels Association spent nearly $259,000 in the third quarter to lobby the federal government on ethanol tax incentives and other issues, according to a disclosure report.

That's up from the $213,000 the trade group spent a year earlier and the $251,000 than it spent in this year's second quarter, according to reports it filed with the House clerk's office. The group also lobbied the federal government on renewable fuel standards and ethanol production infrastructure, according to the report filed on Oct. 20.

The RFA, which represents the U.S. ethanol industry, has called for an extension of the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit, which pays 45 cents for every gallon of pure ethanol that's blended into gasoline. The $5 billion-a-year subsidy is scheduled to expire this year.

In July to September period, the group lobbied Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Trade Representative, and the departments of agriculture, commerce, according to the report filed with the House clerk's office.

[Associated Press]

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