While speaking in Clive, Iowa, on Tuesday, the president said the passage of E15 will happen.
“I did. I promised E15 year-round if I got elected,” he said. “I want to let you know we’ll start right now.”
Trump said he is trusting House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to broker a deal in Congress.
“We’ve got it for farmers, consumers and refiners, including small and midsize refiners. In other words, to get E15 approved, and they’re working on it, they’re very close to getting it done. I just wanted to let you know that,” he added.
President Would Sign E15 Bill Immediately
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a press release Tuesday evening that “yet again President Trump is honoring his commitment to America’s farmers and energy producers today in Iowa by announcing his support for the nationwide year-round sale of E15. As Congress continues to work through the details, the president has been clear — get a bill that allows nationwide E15 to his desk, and he will sign it to unleash American homegrown row crops for biofuels use like never before.”
Iowa Biofuels Groups Say President’s Support is Critical
Iowa biofuels groups, including the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA), took out ads and wrote President Trump a letter prior to his visit to urge his support for E15. IRFA executive director Monte Shaw says the president directing Congress to get E15 done could be the key to finally getting it passed.
“He said he would sign it without delay. We think that was key. There are branches of government, you know the president is not Congress and Congress is not the president. But when he calls up the congressional leaders and says, ‘Hey, I want to get something done’, it’s usually gotten done and got to his desk,” Shaw says.
Legislative Path for E15
Shaw says the legislative path for E15 could be a delayed spending bill, or even a stand-alone bill, since the newly formed E15 council has been given a deadline of Feb. 15 to bring back a deal, with the hope of passage by Feb. 28.
“They did a rule that created the E15 council to keep working on it. This was before President Trump weighed in, and it gave them a date certain for a vote,” Shaw says.
Even if approved, Shaw admits the market impact won’t be felt overnight. But in five to seven years, E15 could mean another 2.4 billion bushels of corn usage annually, and the impact on corn prices could be substantial.
“Two billion bushels is not a small number, but I think people need to understand it won’t happen overnight. Even as penetration starts to grow, you start to grind a lot of corn very quickly,” he adds.
Iowa Farmers Speak To Trump
Kevin Ross, past National Corn Growers Association president, spoke directly with President Trump about E15 at the Machine Shed restaurant. He felt the president was listening.
“He’s said E15 more times in that setting than he has since probably back at the rally down at the [Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy] ethanol plant. I think he’s definitely focused on getting this across the finish line, doing what he can do and that’s really good to see,” Ross says.
He is excited about the possibility of E15 passage and what it could eventually mean for increased demand.
“I would assume the market’s going to take things positively, which we desperately need,” Ross says.