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NCCR 'applauds' efforts to repeal corn ethanol mandate

Small business restaurant owners in all segments of the chain restaurant industry, including quick-service, fast casual and table service restaurants strongly support legislative efforts to repeal the unnecessary ethanol mandate, according to a statement from the National Council of Chain Restaurants.

February 27, 2015

The National Council of Chain Restaurants issued a press release with the following statement from Executive Director Rob Green on the introduction of the Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act, sponsored by Senators Pat Toomey, R-Pa., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Jeff Flake R-Ariz., which would repeal the federal Renewable Fuel Standard corn ethanol mandate:

"We applaud Senator Toomey and Senator Feinstein for introducing this important bipartisan legislation to repeal the RFS corn ethanol mandate," said Green in the statement." This measure recognizes that the Renewable Fuel Standard is broken and that Congress should act before the mandate does even more damage to the U.S. economy.

"Small business restaurant owners in all segments of the chain restaurant industry, including quick-service, fast casual and table service restaurants strongly support legislative efforts to repeal the unnecessary ethanol mandate. The mandate has created a chain reaction causing volatility and spikes in food costs which hurt restaurant owners, suppliers, and their customers.

"The RFS ethanol mandate is a failed government experiment and must be repealed now."

NCCR commissioned a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers that concluded the corn ethanol mandate increased food and commodity costs by $18,000 for the "typical" chain restaurant.