Q. The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is a federal law which has implications for Minnesota. Do you support or oppose the RFS? What is the basis for your support or opposition to the RFS?

A. At this time, I neither support nor oppose the RFS federal law. I have taken a significant amount of time to study the law and the implications for our economy and our environment.

Q. Minnesota law (Minn. Stat 239.7911) calls for the increasing use of biofuels, such as ethanol, over the next 10 years. If you were in a position where you could change the law, would you maintain it as is or modify it? Please tell us why you would either maintain the law or modify it.

A. I would maintain the law and await further information from the taskforce from the Commissioners of Agriculture, Commere and Pollution. I believe there be movement to expand the renewable fuel law and meet federal fuel standards.

Q. What advantages, or disadvantages, do you think biofuels present for Minnesotans? If you have identified advantages, how would you leverage them to achieve more benefits for the environment and consumers over the next two to four years? If you identified disadvantages associated with biofuels, what, if any, actions would you take to address those disadvantages?

A. There are significant economic advantages for the state of Minnesota if there is a reduction in renewable fuel produced in MN. However, there are potential concerns for the enviroment also. I have not reviewed this research thoroughly and cannot determine if there are accurate reports or not.

Q. What actions would you take, for the medium term, to make E15 the new regular fuel?

A. In 2014 there was a policy change that moved the 20% language for the biodiesel mandate to 2018. This policy change was done to allow the industry to build the infrastructure to be able to create a sufficient amount of biodiesel to meet the demand.

I believe prior to making E15 the new regular fuel; I would need further information about infrastructure and production demands.

Q. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your position on biofuels in Minnesota?

A. I am very interested in learning more about RFS and biofuels. I would very much like to hear from you with more information about the realities of biofuels. I have lived in rural Minnesota most of my life and know the dependence on our farming community. I respect the hard work of our farmers and know this year they are dealing with lower corn prices because of an expected large yield.

As a first time candidate, I am learning much about multiple subjects and thank you for your questionnaire. Your questions intrigue me to learn more and I look forward to hearing more from you.

Come back to Blogging For Biofuels on Nov 3 to read gubernatorial candidate, Jeff Johnson's, views on biofuels.