John DeCicco speaking before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology, where the Subcommittees on the Environment and on Energy held a joint hearing entitled "Examining Advancements in Biofuels: Balancing Federal Research and Market Innovation" on Tuesday, July 25, 2017. What follows is the statement delivered at the hearing.
I wish to thank the chairs, ranking members and other members of the
Committee and Subcommittees for the opportunity to testify.
The question being
addressed today, that of the right balance between fundamental scientific
research and government intervention in the marketplace, is crucially
important. The focus on biofuels is telling because it involves so many aspects
of the question. Indeed, federal biofuels policy provides a morality tale of
how things go wrong when the right balance is not maintained.
Before delving into the
problems, however, I want to emphasize the importance of maintaining a robust
federal investment in research across all fields of study. Funding for science
is crucial to maintain American leadership and foster the innovation that leads
to high-quality job growth. Federal support for university research is
especially crucial for training a new generation of Americans who can fill
those jobs.
