Farm, ethanol groups feel betrayed

The Environmental Protection Agency released its final renewable fuel standard (RFS) but it did not include language that President Donald Trump agreed to in meetings with industry officials, Iowa’s governor and congressional representatives earlier this fall. “Apparently President Trump doesn’t care about his promise to Iowa’s farmers,” said Iowa Corn Growers Association President Jim Greif. “He had the opportunity to tell his EPA to stick to the deal that was made on Oct. 4.”

The situation

The language Trump agreed to had the EPA adding ethanol back into the nation’s gasoline supply based on the exemptions granted in the past three years. Instead, the final rule says EPA will base oil refinery exemptions on Energy Department recommendations. The ethanol industry and corn farmers said the agreed-upon language would have created market certainty by assuring the industry that it would meet the volume of corn-based ethanol for 2020 mandated by federal RFS law.

Why farm groups are angry

Ethanol industry officials said at least 20 U.S. ethanol plants have closed at least temporarily since September 2018 due in part to the reduction of ethanol use in the nation’s fuel supply because of EPA policy.

“Instead of certainty, we are essentially being told to trust the EPA to uphold the RFS in the future even though for the past three years the EPA has routinely undermined the program,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw. “I don’t think the White House truly understands the depth of discontent in farm country.”

GABRIELLA DEMCZUK / THE NEW YORK TIMES When President Donald Trump toured the Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy plant in Council Bluffs in June, he promised the EPA’s renewable fuel standard would include provisions that would boost ethanol production.