“The Voice of the Ethanol Industry for More Than a Quarter Century”

One Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 820Washington, DC 20001202.289.3835www.ethanolRFA.org

November 20, 2008Mr. Terry AngstadtPresident, Commercial DivisionIndy Racing League4565 W. 16th StreetIndianapolis, IN 46222Dear Mr. Angstadt:On behalf of America’s ethanol producers, I want to express my deep displeasure in the Indy RacingLeague’s decision to abandon homegrown ethanol as the league’s official fuel. How can you run theIndianapolis 500, a race so imbedded in the culture of this nation, on an imported fuel?For almost 100 years, the Indianapolis 500 has been a showcase for cutting edge vehicle technology.Held on Memorial Day, it has also come to be a time-honored event that serves to thoughtfully paytribute to those Americans who gave their lives protecting our freedoms. The decision to bypass themore than 180 ethanol biorefineries across our country in favor of a tanker ship from Sao Paulo to bethe official supplier of fuel for the IRL is an affront to America’s farmers who have worked to enhanceeconomic opportunities for rural communities and all Americans who have fought and are fighting forour energy independence.We understand your view that all ethanol, no matter the source, will have valuable environmentalbenefits. But ignoring the energy independence potential that is derived only from American ethanoldismisses a fundamental rationale underpinning public support for renewable fuels. While you haveadopted a “global” view, there are many American suppliers that would have greatly appreciated theopportunity to be the official fuel supplier for the IndyCar Series. In fact, with the expansion of ethanol production into more diverse geographic regions of the country, I have every confidence thatthe IRL could have a local ethanol producer supply fuel to virtually every one of its races across thecountry. Instead, the league has chosen to use ethanol that must be shipped thousands of miles from acountry in which the IRL does not hold a single race. At a time when the US economy is faltering andAmerica is seeking to maximize ethanol use, your decision to engage Brazilian ethanol producers iseven more perplexing.It is our understanding that an exception has been made to allow the Iowa Corn 250, held in June inNewton, Iowa, to run on homegrown ethanol as a result of the hard work of the network of ethanol