Subsídio de etanol ajuda áreas rurais nos Estados Unidos

(Notícia em Inglês)
Like many areas in Iowa, Chickasaw County is glad to have an ethanol plant with its 40-plus jobs. After all, the county has lost 5 percent of its population over the past decade.

"It's a real plus for our county, no doubt about it," said Virgil Pickar, a farmer who chairs the county board of supervisors.

Now, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is warning of dire consequences to rural areas if Congress doesn't renew the tax credit that subsidizes the ethanol industry.

In numerous appearances in recent weeks, Vilsack has repeated an industry claim that ethanol production supports 400,000 jobs nationwide and that ending the 45-cent-per-gallon subsidy could result in a "significant job loss in rural America."

desmoinesregister.com»