What Does the Farm Bill Have to do With America’s Energy Security? | Article | EESI

The author contends that the 2012 Farm Bill's energy title is critical for reducing U.S. oil dependence and stimulating rural economic growth through bioenergy investments. While the Senate version provides mandatory funding, the House version does not, which the author describes as a "death sentence" for these programs. The text highlights that in 2011, oil accounted for 93 percent of transportation fuel, creating a vulnerability exacerbated by volatile global prices and a $331 billion petroleum import spend. The author advocates for continued support of programs like the Biomass Crop Assistance Programs and the Biorefinery Assistance Program to develop feedstock systems and commercial-scale biorefineries.

• The U.S. transportation sector remains highly vulnerable due to its heavy reliance on a single fuel source; in 2011, oil provided 93 percent of the fuel used by the transportation system and 36 percent of total U.S. primary energy consumption.
• High petroleum import costs and price volatility negatively impact the U.S. economy; in 2011, the U.S. spent over $331 billion on petroleum imports, an increase of more than 31 percent from 2010.
• The House version of the 2012 Farm Bill's energy title lacks mandatory funding, which the author asserts would effectively end the programs, unlike the Senate version which includes such funding.
• Specific programs are identified as essential for the energy transition: the Biomass Research and Development and Biomass Crop Assistance Programs for feedstock production, the Biorefinery Assistance Program and Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels for commercial-scale refineries, and the Rural Energy for America Program and Community Wood Energy Programs for rural energy efficiency.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2012). What Does the Farm Bill Have to do With America’s Energy Security? | Article | EESI. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/eesi-op-ed

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. What Does the Farm Bill Have to do With America’s Energy Security? | Article | EESI. 2012. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/eesi-op-ed.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=What Does the Farm Bill Have to do With America’s Energy Security? | Article | EESI |date=3 August 2012 |url=https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/eesi-op-ed |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2012what, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{What Does the Farm Bill Have to do With America’s Energy Security? | Article | EESI}}, publisher = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2012}, month = aug, url = {https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/eesi-op-ed}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }