Iowa Sec. of Agriculture Bill Northey today issued the following statement on the California Air Resources Board approval of the low-carbon fuel rule.  The rules adopted by the board call for reduced carbon content of fuels sold in the state by 10 percent by 2020.  This is the first mandate requiring low-carbon fuels in the nation. California’s rules use questionable science that make unproven assumptions based on indirect land use and uses outdated information in the definition of a low carbon fuel.  The rules have the potential to have a direct impact on the Iowa ethanol and biodiesel industries.  To learn more about the California Low Carbon Fuel Rule, visit www.arb.ca.gov/homepage.htm. Sec. Northey’s comments regarding the rule approval follow here: “I am disappointed that the California air regulators chose to ignore the comments of more than one hundred scientists by adopting the low-carbon fuel rule that inaccurately attributes land use changes to ethanol. The consequences of these proposed regulations are very significant and will reach far beyond ethanol produced from corn.  It would start a precedent of actually giving a preference to gasoline usage over corn ethanol since it faces no such restrictions on carbon. To ignore the requests of scientists and failing to consider the continuing improvements in farming techniques and new technologies is irresponsible.  The two largest corn harvests ever have been the last two years, so using old information fails to recognize the continuing improvements in the productivity of farmers.”