June 20, 2008

                                                                                                                                

Joint Legislative Council Announces Membership of Domestic Biofuels Study

Kreitlow and Suder to lead group of citizens and legislators

(MADISON)  A mixture of legislators, industry experts, scientists and environmental leaders will make up the membership of the Domestic Biofuels Study Committee, which will examine what role biofuels should play in Wisconsin’s energy policy.  The appointments, which were voted on by members of the Joint Legislative Council, include six legislators and 13 private citizens.  These members were chosen from a list of over 40 people that applied for membership.  The committee will be led by Senator Pat Kreitlow (D-Chippewa Falls) and Representative Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford).

“I am pleased with the membership that has been appointed by the Joint Legislative Council,” said Kreitlow.   “The broad political, professional and regional experiences represented on this committee make it an ideal group to tackle this issue.  I’m excited to get to work, and confident that our committee will map out an effective strategy for biofuels in Wisconsin.”

The committee’s official directive from the Legislative Council is to:  (1) evaluate the economic and environmental costs and benefits of domestically produced fuels derived from biomass; (2) review state and federal policies to promote the development of the industry and infrastructure for the production and distribution of such fuels; (3) recommend state policies to address any deficiencies in existing policies; and (4) recommend state policies to encourage minimum targets for renewable transportation fuel sales.

"I am confident that the committee members' diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise will lead to the development of a renewable fuels policy that will set Wisconsin up to be a national leader in this area," added Rep. Scott Suder.  "I look forward to participating in this important discussion and producing bi-partisan public policy that has the potential to add thousands of good paying jobs in rural Wisconsin while reducing our dependence on foreign oil."

All study committees appointed by the Council are made up of Legislators and citizens who are interested in or knowledgeable about the study topic.  By having citizens serve on these committees, the Legislature benefits from the knowledge and expertise of Wisconsin's citizens.  Citizens serving on Council study committees not only help in developing public policy, but also learn more about how their state government works.  The Council reviews recommendations made by the study committees and, if legislation is proposed, it may be sponsored by the Joint Legislative Council.

A list of the membership is below.

Members of the Domestic Biofuels Study Committee

Senator Pat Kreitlow, Chair 15854 93rd Avenue Chippewa Falls, WI 54729	Representative Scott Suder, Vice Chair 102 South 4th Avenue Abbotsford, WI 54405
Senator Robert Cowles 300 W. St. Joseph St.   Green Bay, WI 54301	Representative Donald Friske N2998 County Highway K Merrill, WI 54452
Senator Robert Jauch 5271 South Maple Drive Poplar, WI  54864	Representative Mike Sheridan 1032 Nantucket Drive Janesville, WI  53546
Mary Blanchard 3571 Anderson Street Madison, WI  53704	Howard Bohl N6566 County Road G Beaver Dam, WI  53916
Steve Christianson N10185 370th Street Boyceville, WI  54725	T. Randall Fortenberry 1550 Linden Drive Madison, WI  53706
Jennifer Giegerich 133 S. Butler Street, #320 Madison, WI  53703	Jeremy Goodfellow 605 Bassett Street De Forest, WI  53532
Steve Graham P.O. Box 2545 Green Bay, WI  54306-2545	Don Guay 2001 Fourth Avenue Stevens Point, WI  54481
William Johnson 9676 N. Kruger Road Hayward, WI  54843	Steve Loehr P.O. Box 2107 La Crosse, WI  54602-2107
John Salden 15380 93rd Avenue   Chippewa Falls, WI  54729-5164	Peter Taglia 122 State Street, Suite 200 Madison, WI  53703-4333
Peter Tomasi 5277 N. Hollywood Avenue Whitefish Bay, WI  53217