Nussle, an Iowa Republican who also served in the House, will work with outgoing National Farmers Union President Tom Buis, who will become Growth Energy's CEO on March 15. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark is co-chairman of the firm. In a conference call announcing the appointments, they said their first goal is convincing EPA to raise the amount of ethanol allowed in gasoline above 10 percent.

And in a separate story, CD reports on the explosion of lobbying that's taken place around the issue of climate change:

Groups hoping to influence climate change legislation are putting a lot of green in lobbyists' pockets. A new report out today by the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity found that business, manufacturing, health and environmental groups last year pumped at least $90 million into efforts by more than 2,300 lobbyists seeking to nudge federal climate-change legislation in their favor.

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