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Some are calling the president's new plan for "energy security" ambitious and aggressive.

During the State of the Union address to the nation on Jan. 23, President George Bush asked America's scientists, farmers, industry leaders and entrepreneurs to help reduce gasoline usage by 20 percent in the next 10 years. It's policy that will affect Ohio for years, according to OFBF Senior Director of National and Regulatory Affairs Adam Sharp.

To reach this goal, Mr. Bush called for setting a mandatory fuels standard of 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuels by 2017 - which is nearly five times the current legislative target for 2012. The proposal calls for fifteen billion gallons of this fuel to come from ethanol, normally produced from corn and corn feed stock.

"Ohio is the nation's seventh leading producer of corn and soybeans," Sharp said. "These national policies can boost our agricultural sector, Ohio's economy and provide cleaner bio-based fuel stock for decades to come, but we will also need to consider the impacts of such a dramatic change on other sectors of agriculture."

OFBF and the Ohio Corn Growers Association are working with the General Assembly this year on renewable fuels initiatives, including legislation that would offer tax credits for renewable fuel sales, according to Rocky Black, senior director of policy and political affairs.

The Administration's plan for energy security proposal also calls for increasing fuel-efficiency standards of cars and trucks by 4 percent a year – about one mile per gallon – starting in 2010 for cars and 2012 for trucks.

Last year the president called for "reform" of the corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, rules, but avoided suggesting specific mileage requirements.