Agriculture Secretary Brings Fuel Push to Thorntons

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack paid a visit to a local Thorntons convenience store today to talk about the country's effort to decrease its dependence on foreign oil as motorists continue to navigate the ups and downs of gas prices.

This morning, Vilsack stopped by the store at 7102 Charlotte Pike to discuss the importance of moving toward a clean energy economy and breaking the hold foreign oil has over the United States. The visit comes a month after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) detailed new incentives for gas station owners to install flexible fuel pumps that will offer drivers more renewable energy options. The current administration has set a goal of installing 10,000 flexible fuel pumps across the country within five years.

"Flex-fuel pumps give Americans a choice to purchase domestically produced renewable transportation fuels," Vilsack said this morning at Thorntons." The Obama Administration is working to transform the United States into a global clean energy leader because transportation fuels created from a wide variety of renewable energy sources will create a new generation of jobs here at home, reduce dependence on foreign oil and enhance our national security."

As CSNews Online reported in April, the federal government will give financial help to gas stations that install more pumps for the ethanol fuel E-85 in order to increase production and use of the blend.

The funds will come from the USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The deadlines for submitting completed REAP applications are June 15 and June 30, depending on the type of project to be funded.