WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin today were among a bipartisan group of 31 Senators who sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy. The letter is part of an ongoing effort to urge the agency to make changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) 2014 rule.  The Senators share concerns that the EPA's proposed rule will discourage investment and hurt job growth and rural communities across the country.  

"The EPA is proposing a major step that reverses the momentum on biofuels," said Grassley. "The progress made toward energy diversity and independence will slip away if the EPA succeeds.  The sentiment from almost one-third of the U.S. Senate is the proposal needs revision. We want the EPA to reconsider.  The President as a supporter of biofuels should weigh in as needed."    

"The intent of the RFS is to steadily increase contributions from biofuels in our transportation fuels markets to enhance our nation's energy security, protect the environment, and create jobs," said Harkin. "The proposed rule, requiring less biofuel in 2014 than in 2013, goes against this intent and is a significant step backward."  

The EPA's proposed rule would set the biodiesel target at 1.28 billion gallons, which is below current industry production levels of around 1.7 billion gallons.  It would also reduce the total biofuels target to 15.2 billion gallons.  This is 1.34 billion gallons below the 2013 target of 16.55 billion gallons, and almost 3 billion gallons below the 2014 statutory target of 18.15 billion gallons. 

The following Senators also signed on to the letter: Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Max Baucus (D-MT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Dan Coats (R-IN), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Al Franken (D-MN), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), John Hoeven (R-ND), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mark Udall (D-CO), Ed Markey (D-MA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), John Thune (R-SD), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

The full text of the letter is below:

January 22, 2014

The Honorable Gina McCarthy

EPA Administrator

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20460

Dear Administrator McCarthy:

We are writing to share serious concerns regarding the EPA's proposal for the 2014 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS.) Congress passed the RFS to increase the amount of renewable fuel utilized in our nation's fuel supply. The Administration's proposal is a significant step backward - undermining the goal of increasing biofuels production as a domestic alternative to foreign oil consumption. Further, the proposed waiver places at risk both the environmental benefits from ongoing development of advanced biofuels and rural America's economic future. We urge you to modify your proposal.

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) provides the EPA with significant authority to adjust to shifting conditions over the 15-year life of the policy. In any given year, EPA can adjust the advanced biofuel and total biofuel volumes based on anticipated production. While EPA has used the authority to adjust biofuels levels in the past based on anticipated production levels, your proposal, for the first time, adjusts the 2014 overall volumes based on criteria not clearly identified in the law below anticipated production levels of biofuels and even below previous years' RFS levels. 

Further, defining the "blend wall" as blends of E10 and then waiving RFS requirements beyond the blend wall creates significant barriers to future biofuels growth. Lack of infrastructure remains one of the key hurdles to further deployment of biofuels into the market. Limiting RFS to levels that can be met with existing infrastructure eliminates incentives to invest in the technologies and infrastructure necessary to meet our domestic policy goal of increasing biofuels production and use.

If the rule as proposed were adopted, it will:

• Replace domestic biofuel production with fossil fuels, contributing to a greater dependence on foreign sources of oil and reduce our energy security.
• Increase unemployment as renewable fuel producers cut back production.
• Halt investments in cellulosic, biodiesel and other advanced renewable fuels. Rolling back the RFS will, potentially strand billions of dollars of private capital;
• Undermine the deployment of renewable fuels infrastructure throughout the country;
• Threaten the viability of the RFS, thereby solidifying an oil-based transportation sector and lowering consumer choice at the pump.

With these concerns in mind, we request that EPA revise the proposed 2014 RVOs in a manner that promotes investments in the next generation of biofuels and the infrastructure necessary to deploy those fuels into the market. Without a revised proposal, the EPA's rule will bring severe economic consequences, and prevent the growth of the renewable fuel sector.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Action comes following Branstad's Condition of the State Address where he announced plans to recruit veterans to Iowa  

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today applauded the Iowa State Board of Education for passing a measure providing a uniform policy giving veterans, their spouses and their dependents in-state tuition at Iowa community colleges, a measure Regents universities have already adopted. Additionally, the pair launched a working group to make policy recommendations with the goal of making Iowa more attractive for service members.  

"A key element of our bipartisan Home Base Iowa jobs plan is ensuring veterans, their spouses and their dependents are able to continue their education and training at an affordable rate at Iowa's community colleges," said Branstad. "I commend the State Board of Education for their swift action that sends the signal that Iowa stands ready to welcome veterans and match them with quality careers."  

In addition to the State Board of Education's action, Branstad and Reynolds today announced the launch of a working group tasked with finding ways to make Iowa more attractive to veterans leaving the armed services. The committee's members, who received a letter from the governor and lt. governor, are tasked with making recommendations on the following items byJuly 1, 2014:  

 1)       Develop a more consistent approach among Iowa's three state universities and 15 community colleges for awarding undergraduate credits to a student who also is a veteran for courses that are part of the student's military training or experience.  Such credit shall be awarded toward the student's major, minor, pre-requisite, or elective coursework requirements. Encourage Iowa's private colleges and universities to adopt the same approach.  

 2)       Develop strategies for the state universities, community colleges and participating private colleges and universities to recruit veterans and promote educational benefits provided to veterans at each institution. Study best practices for recruiting veterans to attract and retain a better educated workforce.  Examine effectiveness of campus veteran support services. Consider opportunities to coordinate this campaign across higher education institutions, the State of Iowa, and private employers.  

 3)       Develop a plan to provide consistent data tracking for an annual report to the Governor's Office and Legislature.  At minimum the report should include the following: the number of veterans enrolled at state universities and community colleges, including new veterans; the number awarded credit for military training, service or experience; and average military credit earned. Encourage private colleges and universities to participate.  

"Our veterans have served our nation and state with great dignity and honor. These brave men and women are highly-skilled and will be well sought after by Iowa employers," said Reynolds. "Governor Branstad and I applaud the State Board of Education's for their action today and look forward to reviewing the working group's recommendations as we strive to make Iowa more attractive for service members."  

The following individuals will make of the Home Base Iowa working group:  

Chair  

Jodi Tymeson, Brig. General Iowa Army National Guard (retired)  

Commandant of the Iowa Veterans Home  

Membership  

Jathan Chicoine  

Iowa State University Veterans Services Coordinator  

President, Iowa Advisory Council on Military Education  

Former U.S. Navy SEAL 

Senior Airman Michael Considine

Avionics Technician for the 185^th Air National Guard

University of Iowa Veterans Association President

Andrew Gates

St. Ambrose University Coordinator of Veterans Recruitment and Services

Former Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps

Col. Tim Glynn

Iowa National Guard

Diana Gonzalez

Board of Regents, Chief Academic Officer

Julia Heuer

University of Northern Iowa Coordinator Military and Veteran Student Services

Former SGT, U.S. Army

Colonel Robert King (Ret.)

Director of the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs

Chris LaFerla

Iowa Western Community College Dean of Admissions and Records

Kim Linduska

Des Moines Area Community College Executive Vice President, Academic Affairs

Hal Pittman, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired)

President and CEO, Special Olympics Iowa

Mary Elizabeth Stivers

Grand View University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Jeremy Varner

Iowa Department of Education, Division of Community Colleges

The following excerpt is from Gov. Branstad's 2014 Condition of the State Address:

"And let's make Iowa the destination for veterans to continue their education.  Already, the University of Iowa has been named the 6th best university for veterans by U.S. News and World Report.  But we can do even better.

"I will be asking the State Board of Education to join the Regents institutions by passing rules giving veterans, their spouses, and their dependents automatic in-state tuition at our community colleges.

"I will also be convening stakeholders from the Regents, community colleges, and private colleges to develop consistent policies to provide veterans academic credit for their military training and experience."

Read the full speech

###

Veteran Investment Advisor Shares 4 Tips for All Wealth Stages

Financial resolutions can be the most difficult to keep. They can include minute detail, number crunching, plenty of files and discipline that can affect a person's entire lifestyle, says veteran investment advisor Paul Taylor, a member of the National Ethics Bureau.

"Many folks simply are not predisposed to combing through the details of their financial situation; for them, the financial world is abstract and filled with arbitrary rules, constantly changing interest rates and other complexities, but being more involved in your own money is well worth the investment," says Taylor, an architect-turned-founder and owner of Capital Advisory Group & Tax Planners of Lake Norman and Capital Investment Advisors, Inc, (www.CapitalAdvGroup.com).

"While professional help is recommended for many aspects of a person's financial affairs, it's ultimately up to the individual to understand his or her own money."

There are many things the average person can do to take control of their financial life. Taylor offers the following suggestions:

• For your cash flow, keep in mind the four A's: Accounting, Analysis, Allocation and Adjustment. The four A's describe a systematic and disciplined approach to your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly spending habits. Accounting involves gathering all your relevant financial information - income, recurring bills, and other expenditures - creating a central list of each item, and pulling it together in a place where it's easily accessible.Analysis is reviewing the information to determine whether you have a shortfall or surplus, and finding places to reduce expenses. Saving $100 a month on dining out, for instance, would allow you to apply $100 to your mortgage loan principle, saving you a substantial amount in interest payments. Allocation involves determining your financial commitments and priorities, needs versus wants, and distributing your income accordingly.Adjustment involves periodic reviews of your financial information and shifting assets to meet changing needs.

• Utilize estate planning tools such as wills and trusts; make sure the details are accurate. Wills and trusts allow you to spell out how you would like your property to be distributed, and much more. A will gives you the opportunity to nominate your executor and guardians for your minor children. If you fail to make such designations through your will, the decisions will probably be left to the courts. Bear in mind that property distributed through your will is subject to probate, which can be a time-consuming and costly process. Trusts, which are more complex, let you customize the distribution of your estate with the added advantages of property management and probate avoidance.

• Start planning your retirement sooner rather than later. There are a variety of retirement planning options that can meet your needs. Your employer funds some; you fund some. Bear in mind that, in most cases, early withdrawals before age 59½ may be subject to a 10 percent federal income tax penalty. The latest date to begin required minimum distributions is usually April 1 of the year after you turn age 70½. Withdrawals from tax-deferred plans are taxed as ordinary income. The top planning options include defined benefit pension; money purchase pension; profit-sharing plan; savings plan; employee stock ownership plan; tax-sheltered annuities; individual retirement accounts; self-employed plans; simplified employee pensions; and savings incentive match plans for employees.

• Remember the first commandment in safe investment:diversification. Virtually every investment has some type of risk associated with it. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Diversification is one of the main reasons why mutual funds may be so attractive for both experienced and novice investors. Many non-institutional investors have a limited investment budget and may find it challenging to construct a portfolio that is sufficiently diversified. For a modest initial investment, you can purchase shares in a diversified portfolio of securities. Depending on the objectives of the fund, it may contain a variety of stocks, bonds and cash vehicles, or a combination of them.

About Paul Taylor

Paul Taylor is the founder and owner of Capital Advisory Group & Tax Planners of Lake Norman and Capital Investment Advisors, Inc. Taylor, a fully licensed investment advisor, has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and is committed to providing personalized service to those he serves. Since 2007, he has been a member of the National Ethics Bureau, which acknowledges individuals who prove they are committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in their practices.

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today applauded Texas officials, including Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, for waiving Texas licensing, permitting and certification requirements regarding liquefied petroleum gas trucks and operators. The action by Perry and Dewhurst will help expedite the transport of propane to Midwest states during the frigid winter months.

"After asking Texas officials yesterday for the waiver, I was pleased to learn of their quick action to assist Iowans and Midwest states with the shortage of propane," said Branstad. 

Branstad and Reynolds spoke to Gov. Perry and Lt. Gov. Dewhurst's staff yesterday by phone and asked that Texas consider waiving the requirements. Lt. Gov. Dewhurst signed the proclamation as Gov. Perry is out of the country.

"Governor Perry and Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst's willingness to help Iowans is tremendous and the impact is very helpful," said Reynolds. "This action will help propane suppliers keep up with the demand."

In addition, the governor and lt. governor were pleased to learn the U.S. Department of Transportation established a regional emergency declaration suspending the regulatory provisions pertaining to hours of service for drivers of commercial motor vehicles transporting propane to affected Midwest states, including Iowa, through 11:59 P.M. on February 11, 2014. The federal emergency proclamation may be found here.

The language of the Texas proclamation may be found here and below:

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:

WHEREAS, extreme winter weather and cold temperatures throughout much of the United States have created a large demand for liquefied petroleum gas, and such conditions have resulted in a corresponding strain on liquefied petroleum gas resources outside the State of Texas;

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Transportation has declared emergencies in Eastern, Midwestern, and Southern states due to shortages and interruptions in the availability or delivery of propane and other home heating fuels;  

WHEREAS, the following states have declared liquefied petroleum gas emergencies: Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wisconsin;  

WHEREAS, the States of Iowa and Maine have requested that the State of Texas join them in declaring a liquefied petroleum gas emergency; and  

WHEREAS, the State of Texas is the leading producer of liquefied petroleum gas in the nation, and Texas' liquefied petroleum gas resources and infrastructure allow the state to temporarily assist in alleviating the liquefied petroleum gas shortages in other states.

THEREFORE, in accordance with the authority vested in me by Section 113.083 of the Texas Natural Resources Code, I have determined the existence of a temporary shortage of liquefied petroleum gas in the above states, and I join the governors of those states in declaring a liquefied petroleum gas emergency.

Pursuant to this proclamation and Section 113.083(a) of the Texas Natural Resources Code, the State of Texas waives Texas licensing, permitting, and certification requirements regarding liquefied petroleum gas trucks and operators. This waiver applies only to liquefied petroleum gas trucks and operators meeting all certification, permitting, and licensing requirements of the federal government and another state whose governor has declared or declares a liquefied petroleum gas emergency.

All other legal requirements, including licensing, registration, insurance, and safety, remain in place.

This emergency declaration shall continue for 14 days from the date this proclamation is signed, unless renewed.

In accordance with the statutory requirements, copies of this proclamation shall be filed with the applicable authorities.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name and have officially caused the Seal of State to be affixed at my office in the City of Austin, Texas, this the 22nd day of January, 2014.

DAVID DEWHURST
Lieutenant Governor 
Acting as Governor of Texas