They say that politics makes strange bedfellows and that is definitely the case with the “American Clean Energy and Security Act” passed last week by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Both agricultural and environmental groups, Democrats and Republicans, have all lined up to criticize the legislation that claims it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 83 percent over the next 40 years.

A coalition of environmental groups that includes Greenpeace USA and Friends of the Earth, issued a statement that reads, in part, “the decision-making process was co-opted by oil and coal lobbyists determined to sustain our addiction to dirty fossil fuels, even as the country stands ready to rebuild our economy and clean up the environment with real clean energy. The resulting bill reflects the triumph of politics over science, and the triumph of industry influence over the public interest.”

Agricultural groups voicing opposition include the American Farm Bureau, National Corn Growers, National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, United Egg Producers and the Fertilizer Institute.

House Agriculture Committee Chair Collin Peterson (D-MN) has voiced his strong opposition to the bill and indicated last week that he has enough votes, both Democrat and Republican, to defeat the legislation. Republican lawmakers are also opposed to the bill. Congressman Joe Barton of Texas, top Republican on the House committee, threatened to have the 1000-plus page bill read in full to slow action on the legislation. He backed down on that threat, but committee chairman Henry Waxman – the bill’s co-author – hired a speed reader just in case. (Funny video of that on YouTube is worth watching.)

So, the question is, does anyone besides the bill’s authors actually like this piece of legislation?

The Environmental Protection Agency has officially opened a 60-day comment period for proposed changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard. The comment period will be open until July 27.

In addition to seeking comments on the proposed rulemaking announced earlier this month, EPA is also conducting peer reviews of critical aspects of the lifecycle methodology used to determine the greenhouse gas emissions of various fuels.

EPA has also announced a public hearing to be held for the proposed rule which will be held in Washington, DC on June 9.