Donald Trump’s record of broken promises to Iowa farmers continues to unfold last week. Iowa corn and soybean farmers, along with their downstream customers in the ethanol and biodiesel industries, experienced a momentary high as the president rejected a handful of gap year waivers requested by refineries that would have exempted them from the blending requirements of the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS.
After greatly expanding the use of these waivers in his first 3½ years in office, it was welcome news that he signaled that the most brazen attempts to weaken the RFS would be denied. The news does not change the fact that the more than 80 waivers President Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency have already granted to the biggest names in global oil and gas production eliminated more than 4 billion gallons in ethanol and biodiesel demand. Or that a billion bushels of corn didn’t get processed into ethanol, further depressing the prices that our farmers receive. Or that dozens of ethanol plants shut down or limited production, resulting in workers at 150 ethanol plants working less or not at all. This news also did not address the remaining waiver requests for 2019 and 2020 which, if granted after the election, would continue to destroy additional demand for ethanol and biodiesel made right here in Iowa.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s...cord-broken-promises-iowa-farmers/5827888002/
After greatly expanding the use of these waivers in his first 3½ years in office, it was welcome news that he signaled that the most brazen attempts to weaken the RFS would be denied. The news does not change the fact that the more than 80 waivers President Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency have already granted to the biggest names in global oil and gas production eliminated more than 4 billion gallons in ethanol and biodiesel demand. Or that a billion bushels of corn didn’t get processed into ethanol, further depressing the prices that our farmers receive. Or that dozens of ethanol plants shut down or limited production, resulting in workers at 150 ethanol plants working less or not at all. This news also did not address the remaining waiver requests for 2019 and 2020 which, if granted after the election, would continue to destroy additional demand for ethanol and biodiesel made right here in Iowa.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s...cord-broken-promises-iowa-farmers/5827888002/
