DES MOINES — Iowa gas stations would have more flexibility in updating their pumps to comply with renewable fuel rules under a bill Senate lawmakers advanced Wednesday.
The bill, Senate Study Bill 3187, builds on a 2022 law that requires most Iowa fuel retailers to offer E15 — gasoline blended with 15% ethanol — by 2026. The law also required new fuel infrastructure be compatible with the higher blended E85 fuel, which can be used by some flex-fuel cars.
Under the proposed bill, retailers that install new pumps and infrastructure would be able to transition to E85-compatible equipment more slowly. Until 2025, new pumps would need to be compatible only with E15 fuel. Starting July 1, 2025, new infrastructure would need to be compatible with E40 fuel, and infrastructure would need to be E85 compatible by 2030.
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Republican Sen. Dan Zumbach of Ryan said the bill would give retailers more time to update their equipment without incurring the large costs that comes with E85 infrastructure.
“The reason this bill came into play is to give some time to the manufacturers to get the equipment available for these retailers to put in place,” he said. “And until that time it’ll lower their cost to not have to have as expensive equipment until that time arrives.”
Zumbach and two other lawmakers voted to advance the bill out of a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday. It is now eligible for a hearing in the full Senate Appropriations Committee.
Iowa officials have long sought to boost the production and sales of ethanol-blended fuels. Iowa is the largest national producer of both ethanol and the corn used to make it, and more than half of corn grown in Iowa is used in ethanol production.
E15 gasoline is generally around 10 to 20 cents cheaper per gallon than standard E10 gasoline.
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, which represents Iowa’s ethanol manufacturers, has registered in support of the bill. Sara Allen, a lobbyist for the association, said it would lead to more ethanol being sold in the state.
A lobbyist for the Iowa Corn Growers Association said they would prefer if the Legislature increased the grants offered to retailers to update their infrastructure rather than changing the requirements.
“We think you passed an amazing bill in the Legislature in 2022, and we think that that is actually still the best course,” the association's lobbyist, Mindy Poldberg, said. “... Our first preference would be if instead of the delay, we would implement the current bill but raise the cap from the $50,000 amount.”
The Iowa Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Program provides grants to fuel retailers to pay for equipment upgrades, doling out grants up to $50,000 for those projects for large retailers. Lawmakers increased the grant amount and cost-share for small retailers in the 2022 law.
Representatives for Iowa’s gas stations had mixed thoughts on the bill. Kwik Trip has registered in support, and its lobbyist, Larry Blixt, said E15 is the company’s most popular product. Allowing retailers to more easily transition to E15 infrastructure would increase those sales, he said. A representative for Casey's General Store said he was concerned that some required equipment compatible with E40 gasoline would not be widely available by the July 2025 deadline.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency recently approved a request from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and other Midwestern governors to permanently waive a summer restriction on E15 and sell it year round. E15 sales are generally restricted in the summer months because of environmental concerns.
Gov. Reynolds signs E15 ethanol blend bill into law
Iowa Democratic U.S. Senate hopefuls differ on foreign policy, ethanol
DES MOINES — Differences over a hard line on when to send U.S. troops to Ukraine and over ethanol policy were among the few contrasts to emerge during a televised debate Saturday night between the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate in Iowa.
Mike Franken, a retired three-star admiral in the U.S. Navy from Sioux City, was the only candidate to establish a scenario under which he would send U.S. troops to Ukraine to assist in the country’s defense against Russia’s military invasion, which is in its third month.
“There are issues associated with being the world’s broad-shouldered democracy. And I do believe though if (Russian President) Vladimir Putin uses a nuclear weapon against Ukraine, like-minded countries like the United States and others should put American souls along with other nations’ to help pick up the pieces internal to Ukraine,” Franken said. “That’s a red line. We must step forward, we cannot let the use of weapons of mass destruction against a large population and a democracy ever be used and go without retort.”
Abby Finkenauer, a former congresswoman and state legislator from Cedar Rapids, and Glenn Hurst, a physician from Minden, both said the United States should support economic sanctions on Russia and provide assistance like weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but should not devote U.S. troops.
“I support making sure that we are doing everything we can short of sending in U.S. troops to support Ukraine, whether that is additional spending that we’re sending over, in terms of weapons, in terms of making sure they have what they need,” Finkenauer said.
Said Hurst, “We should be sending humanitarian efforts to all of the refugees that are pouring into Poland and countries surrounding the Ukraine. We should be opening up the borders here in Iowa to bring more refugees to our community.”
Finkenauer, Franken and Hurst are vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination in Iowa’s 2022 U.S. Senate campaign.
The incumbent is Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is running for an eighth six-year term. He also faces a primary challenge, from Sioux City lawyer and state legislator Jim Carlin.
Grassley is widely expected to survive the primary challenge, and the three Democrats clearly agree, as all took turns criticizing Iowa’s longtime U.S. senator.
Iowa’s primary election is June 7. Early voting begins May 18.
The second and only other scheduled TV debate for the Senate Democratic primary will be on Iowa PBS and its statewide affiliates. That debate will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. on May 19.
The candidates also had varied viewpoints on ethanol policy. The renewable fuels industry supports roughly 37,000 jobs in Iowa and accounts for nearly $4 billion of the state’s GDP, according to the Iowa Corn Growers Association.
Finkenauer said she supports President Joe Biden’s use of an emergency rule to lift the federal ban on the higher E15 blend of ethanol being sold during the summer driving months. She also said the federal government must ensure oil companies are complying with federal ethanol blending regulations.
“This is the time when we should be using what Iowa does best, and we should be making sure that we are supporting that industry,” Finkenauer said. “But (also) make sure that these big oil companies aren’t just skirting the rules.”
Franken said he also supports the year-round sale of E15, but said that should be considered a temporary solution. He said the government should be looking for alternative uses for ethanol, such as in airplane or ship fuel, or for power generation.
“We’ve got the latitude and the topsoil and the initiative and the intelligence in this state to reconstruct the energy grid,” Franken said. “And ethanol will be on the helpful side.”
Hurst said the government should move away from financing ethanol production because more new vehicles will be powered by electricity. He said the government should encourage Iowa farmers to produce another crop, and as an example cited hemp and its oils and fibers.
“Vehicles are going to be (electric-powered), and we can as a state either try to squeeze every little last drop out of ethanol as we can, or we can take a progressive idea of introducing a third crop into our duopoly of corn and soy and make it a profitable center, a profitable market for Iowa farmers,” Hurst said.
In a statement, Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann said the Democratic candidates in Iowa’s U.S. Senate campaign hold “extreme” positions that are out-of-step with Iowans.
“Iowans know these candidates don’t have the spine to stand up to Joe Biden and their national party,” Kaufmann said in the statement. “As inflation continues to skyrocket, the crisis at the border gets worse, and the future of our country looks more and more bleak, these Democrats’ only solution is to continue down the path toward socialism.”
The hourlong debate was hosted and broadcast live by four Iowa TV stations: KCCI-TV in Des Moines, KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids, KTIV-TV in Sioux City and KWQC-TV in Davenport.
Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com
Democratic U.S. Senate hopefuls differ on foreign policy, ethanol
DES MOINES — Differences over a hard line on when to send U.S. troops to Ukraine and over ethanol policy were among the few contrasts to emerge during a televised debate Saturday night between the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate in Iowa.
Mike Franken, a retired three-star admiral in the U.S. Navy from Sioux City, was the only candidate to establish a scenario under which he would send U.S. troops to Ukraine to assist in the country’s defense against Russia’s military invasion, which is in its third month.
“There are issues associated with being the world’s broad-shouldered democracy. And I do believe though if (Russian President) Vladimir Putin uses a nuclear weapon against Ukraine, like-minded countries like the United States and others should put American souls along with other nations’ to help pick up the pieces internal to Ukraine,” Franken said. “That’s a red line. We must step forward; we cannot let the use of weapons of mass destruction against a large population and a democracy ever be used and go without retort.”
Abby Finkenauer, a former congresswoman and state legislator from Cedar Rapids, and Glenn Hurst, a physician from Minden, both said the United States should support economic sanctions on Russia and provide assistance like weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but it should not devote U.S. troops.
“I support making sure that we are doing everything we can short of sending in U.S. troops to support Ukraine, whether that is additional spending that we’re sending over, in terms of weapons, in terms of making sure they have what they need,” Finkenauer said.
Hurst said: “We should be sending humanitarian efforts to all of the refugees that are pouring into Poland and countries surrounding the Ukraine. We should be opening up the borders here in Iowa to bring more refugees to our community.”
Finkenauer, Franken and Hurst are vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination in Iowa’s 2022 U.S. Senate campaign.
The incumbent is Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is running for an eighth six-year term. He also faces a primary challenge, from Sioux City lawyer and state legislator Jim Carlin.
Grassley is widely expected to survive the primary challenge, and the three Democrats clearly agree, as all took turns criticizing Iowa’s longtime U.S. senator.
Iowa’s primary election is June 7. Early voting begins May 18.
The second and only other scheduled TV debate for the Senate Democratic primary will be on Iowa PBS and its statewide affiliates. That debate will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. on May 19.
The candidates also had varied viewpoints on ethanol policy. The renewable fuels industry supports roughly 37,000 jobs in Iowa and accounts for nearly $4 billion of the state’s GDP, according to the Iowa Corn Growers Association.
Finkenauer said she supported President Joe Biden’s use of an emergency rule to lift the federal ban on the higher E15 blend of ethanol being sold during the summer driving months. She also said the federal government must ensure oil companies are complying with federal ethanol blending regulations.
“This is the time when we should be using what Iowa does best, and we should be making sure that we are supporting that industry,” Finkenauer said. “But (also) make sure that these big oil companies aren’t just skirting the rules.”
Franken said he also supported the year-round sale of E15 but said that should be considered a temporary solution. He said the government should look for alternative uses for ethanol, such as in airplane or ship fuel, or for power generation.
“We’ve got the latitude and the topsoil and the initiative and the intelligence in this state to reconstruct the energy grid,” Franken said. “And ethanol will be on the helpful side.”
Hurst said the government should move away from financing ethanol production because more new vehicles would be powered by electricity. He said the government should encourage Iowa farmers to produce another crop, and as an example cited hemp and its oils and fibers.
“Vehicles are going to be (electric-powered), and we can as a state either try to squeeze every little last drop out of ethanol as we can, or we can take a progressive idea of introducing a third crop into our duopoly of corn and soy and make it a profitable center, a profitable market for Iowa farmers,” Hurst said.
In a statement, Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann said the Democratic candidates in Iowa’s U.S. Senate campaign held “extreme” positions that were out of step with Iowans.
“Iowans know these candidates don’t have the spine to stand up to Joe Biden and their national party,” Kaufmann said in the statement. “As inflation continues to skyrocket, the crisis at the border gets worse and the future of our country looks more and more bleak, these Democrats’ only solution is to continue down the path toward socialism.”
The hourlong debate was hosted and broadcast live by four Iowa TV stations: KCCI-TV in Des Moines, KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids, KTIV-TV in Sioux City and KWQC-TV in Davenport.
E15 ethanol requirement headed to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk
DES MOINES — More Iowa gas stations will be selling a higher blend of ethanol under a proposed mandate that is about to become state law.
State lawmakers on Tuesday approved with strong, bipartisan support a proposal to require that most Iowa gas stations sell the E15 blend of ethanol in at least one pump.
To become law, the legislation now needs only the signature of Gov. Kim Reynolds, who made the proposal. She told reporters on Tuesday that the E15 requirement will help the state’s economy and its corn farmers: Just more than half of corn grown in Iowa goes to ethanol plants.
“(The mandate is needed) to really help sustain and grow an industry that’s really important to, first of all, to our economy, and to farmers,” Reynolds said. “It’s a good deal and it’s environmentally friendly. So it checks about every box that we’re looking for.”
If the proposal is passed into law as expected, all Iowa gas stations with at least two pumps would be required to make the corn-based E15 ethanol blend available for sale on at least one pump. E15 is a higher ethanol blend than E10, currently the most prominent ethanol blend sold at gas stations.
The proposal contains multiple ways for smaller stations to obtain an exemption from the requirement, and state-funded assistance for stations that will need to upgrade their equipment in order to store and sell the higher ethanol blend.
The proposal, House File 2128, passed the Iowa Senate, 42-3, and the Iowa House, 81-13. Both votes featured mixtures of Democrats and Republicans voting for and against.
“What this does is tell the state, it tells the nation, it tells our region that E15 is important in Iowa, and we are going to be the leader in the E15 market, in production and in selling it,” said Sen. Waylon Brown, a Republican from Osage.
Some of the opposition came from free-market Republicans, who said they voted against the bill because it is a government mandate on what private businesses should sell.
“I do support E15 in every way that I can, but I don’t think it’s the government’s job to use their big club to make things happen,” said Sen. Dennis Guth, a Republican from Klemme.
Federal regulations prohibit the E15 ethanol blend from being sold during the summer.
But President Joe Biden recently announced in Iowa his administration’s plan to take emergency action to allow for the sale of E15 this summer. And Reynolds is working with a bipartisan group of more than a half-dozen other Midwest governors on a more permanent solution to keeping E15 available for sale in the summer.
Iowa lawmakers on verge of OK’ing new ethanol rules
DES MOINES — Most Iowa gas stations would be required to sell the higher E15 blend of ethanol under legislation that soon could be headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds, who made the proposal to lawmakers.
The Iowa Senate’s tax policy committee Monday approved Reynolds’ proposal after making some changes, including the addition of another way for small gas stations to receive an exemption from the proposed requirements and financial assistance for potential equipment upgrades.
Lawmakers may debate and pass the bill out of both chambers Tuesday, which would send it to Reynolds’ desk for her signature.
If the proposal is passed into law, all Iowa gas stations with at least two pumps would be required to make the corn-based E15 ethanol blend available for sale on at least one pump. E15 is a higher ethanol blend than E10, currently the most prominent ethanol blend sold at gas stations.
The proposal contains ways for some stations, especially smaller stations, to apply for an exemption from the requirement or for financial assistance for any upgrades the station may need to make to sell E15.
Molly Severn, Reynolds’ liaison to the Iowa Legislature, during Monday’s committee hearing called the legislation “the result of significant compromise from everyone on the rural supply chain,” including gas stations, biofuels producers and corn farmers.
Sen. Waylon Brown, a Republican from Osage who spoke for the bill during Monday’s hearing, said Senate Republicans’ newly added exemption — which would apply to stations that sell fewer than 300,000 gallons of gas annually — would be available to about a third of retail locations, mostly small stations, that make up roughly 6 percent of fuel sales in the state.
Sen. Dan Dawson, a Republican from Council Bluffs who chairs the Senate tax policy committee, said his goal was to help smaller stations that may not have the ability to invest in significant infrastructure upgrades.
“We’re really trying to help out these small retailers here in the state, knowing that these support a lot of our rural communities,” Dawson said. “We definitely want to change the cost share in that program a little bit to help out the small retailers.”
Sen. Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, was the lone voice of opposition to the proposal, saying he opposes the idea of state government mandating a product be sold by Iowa businesses.
Sen. Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque, shared a similar concern, but ultimately expressed her hesitant support for the bill.
“I still believe that it is the price at the pump that dictates what consumers will purchase,” Jochum said. “I will hold my nose and vote for this very reluctantly, and primarily because I have in my community a biodiesel plant. … Nonetheless I have some sincere reservations about what we are doing here.”
The proposal, House File 2128, is a priority for Reynolds — who made a similar but more prescriptive proposal last year that didn’t gain enough traction in the Legislature — and one of the few remaining pieces of legislation keeping state lawmakers from concluding their work for the 2022 legislative session.
The bill also contains tax credits to support ethanol and other biofuels.
Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com
What’s left? A look at the unresolved bills in the Iowa Legislature
DES MOINES — The work of this Iowa legislative session is almost concluded. The vast majority of state lawmakers have been sent home and told to wait for any deals on the unresolved issues.
It’s up to Republican leaders — specifically Majority Leader Jack Whitver in the Iowa Senate, Speaker Pat Grassley in the Iowa House and Gov. Kim Reynolds — to reach agreements on these remaining bills. But there are some hefty proposals in that pack of unresolved legislation — bills that would significantly impact the lives of Iowans.
Here’s a look at what’s holding up the finish to session:
Private school tuition assistance
What it does: One of Reynolds’ top priorities, which she’s pursuing for a second consecutive year, would create a taxpayer-funded program in which public school students from moderate and low-income families would be able to apply for one of 10,000 roughly $5,500 scholarships to be put toward private school tuition. The funding would shift from the public school the student is leaving to the private scholarship.
Where it stands: Just like last year, the proposal has strong support among Senate Republicans but measured resistance among House Republicans. No Democrat has expressed support; in fact, it’s probably their top target for opposition. If it’s going to pass this year, it probably will be part of a session-ending deal in which legislators swap support for multiple bills to get them passed.
K-12 curriculum transparency
What it does: Largely produced by Rep. Garrett Gobble, a Republican whose day job is a teacher in Ankeny, the House proposal would require schools to post their library materials and classroom curriculum online and allow them to use a web-based tool that would allow teachers to update and make changes as necessary. The Senate proposal is more stringent, requiring those materials to be posted twice annually, and that parents be notified of any changes. The Senate proposal also provide avenues for parents to shield their children from any sexually explicit classroom materials.
Where it stands:The two proposals are similar in spirit but the Senate’s goes a little farther. The chambers will have to close the gaps where they exist: Specifically, how often materials are required to be posted and to what degree the state dictates how parents are able to ask the school to remove materials those parents deem to be obscene or sexually explicit.
Unemployment benefits
What it does: Reynolds proposed reducing the duration of unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to 16. The proposal also lowers the income threshold for taking a job that pays less than the unemployed Iowans’ previous job. In other words, job-seekers will have to accept lower job offers or risk losing unemployment benefits. The House and Senate both passed the bill, but the Senate then added a one-week period before an unemployed worker starts receiving benefits.
Where it stands: The one-week waiting period is the sticking point. In order to reach an agreement, Senate Republicans will have to agree to let it go, or House Republicans will have to agree to accept it.
Vaccine requirements
What it does:A proposal in the House would prohibit government agencies, schools and businesses from requiring any vaccine as a condition of employment and would prohibit them from requiring face coverings.
Where it stands: House Republicans tried to run the proposal as part of a combo bill that also included insurance protections for commercial truck drivers, but that legislation was rejected in an unusual procedural move. The proposed limitations on vaccine requirements could still be attached to another policy bill or a budget bill this session.
E15 ethanol mandate
What it does: Another Reynolds proposal, this would require all Iowa gas stations to have the higher E15 blend of ethanol available in at least one pump.
Where it stands: The House made this the first bill it passed off the floor this session. It has stalled in the Senate, where the bill moved through the committee process Feb. 8 but has not been heard from since. It’s all up to Senate Republicans whether this Reynolds priority gets to her desk.
Bottle bill
What it does: Again, the House and Senate have proposals that are mostly similar but just different enough to keep them at loggerheads. Both bills would increase the fee paid by beverage distributors with the goal of creating more funding for redemption centers where Iowans can return their recyclable bottles and cans. But both bills also continue to allow, if not expand, the ability for grocery stores to opt out of serving as redemption centers.
Where it stands:The House and Senate seem close on this one. Still, it remains to be seen whether this finally is the year that legislators approve an attempt to update Iowa’s four decades-old deposit recycling law.
State budget
What it does: Both chambers released their state spending targets back in late February, and were only about $80 million apart in a roughly $8.2 billion proposed state budget.
Where it stands: Thus far, the House has passed all of the budget bills for the myriad state agencies, but the Senate is yet to take any action.
Iowa's Reynolds, Midwest governors working with White House on E15 sales
DES MOINES — As legislative and regulative roadblocks continue to prevent the year-round sale of the E15 blend of ethanol gasoline, a group of Midwest governors, including Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, is pursuing a regional solution.
The proposal was included in notes published this week by the White House ahead of President Joe Biden’s trip to Iowa, where he made a public announcement of his administration’s plan to keep E15 at the pumps this summer.
Essentially, the governors are proposing the federal government regulate E10 — the most common blend of ethanol currently available year-round — the same as E15, which has a higher ethanol blend and typically is cheaper.
Seven Midwest governors, including Republicans and Democrats, in November signed a letter to the federal government asking federal regulators about the proposal. The original signees were the governors Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Since then, Reynolds said Wednesday, the governors of Illinois and Kansas have lent their support to the proposal.
Because the proposal could be implemented on a state-by-state or regional basis, having that many governors on board is important, Reynolds said.
“We have been working since last year on a Midwest waiver to this,” she said. “I’m very excited about that.”
Under current federal law, for the stated reason of limiting air pollution, the higher ethanol blend of E15 cannot be sold during the summer driving season, June 1 through Sept. 15, because of concerns it adds to smog during hot weather.
In 2019, President Donald Trump’s administration used federal rule-making to eliminate the summer sales ban, making E15 available year-round in 2020 and 2021. But in December, a federal court struck down that rule based on procedure.
The Biden administration is making E15 available this summer by issuing an emergency order via the Environmental Protection Agency, citing the strain placed on the U.S. fuel supply by Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. By its nature as an emergency action, its impact will be only temporary.
With the goal of making E15’s year-round sale permanent, the White House included the Midwest governors’ proposal in its information relating to its announcement this week.
“EPA is also considering additional action to facilitate the use of E15 year-round, including continued discussions with states who have expressed interest in allowing year-round use of E15 and considering modifications to E15 fuel pump labeling,” a White House fact sheet said.
Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, said he was pleased to see the White House mention that proposal and its willingness to work with those governors on a more permanent solution.
“Basically, what we need is we need (E10 and E15) regulated the same,” Shaw said at Tuesday’s event with Biden at a biofuels processing plant in Menlo. “We think that’s headed in the right direction. And so that’s huge.”
Biden in Iowa pitches more ethanol access, emergency access for summertime E15
MENLO — Standing inside a distilled grain storage facility at a Central Iowa biofuels processing plant, President Joe Biden repeated a pledge his administration announced earlier Tuesday: They plan to make the higher E15 blend of ethanol available for sale during the upcoming summer months.
“I feel like I’m preaching to the choir here,” Biden said to a few dozen invited guests at the event, as distilled grain poured into the facility beside him.
The event, which marked Biden’s first visit to Iowa since his election in 2020, was held on the grounds of one of 12 facilities in Iowa operated by POET, a biofuels processing company based just across the state’s northwest border in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The most common ethanol blend sold at gas stations is E10, and not all Iowa gas stations offer E15. Under current federal law, the higher-blend E15 cannot be sold during the summer driving period, defined as June 1 through Sept. 15, because of concerns it adds to smog when the weather gets hot.
The Biden administration announced Tuesday that its Environmental Protection Agency will issue an emergency action that will make the E15 blend available through this summer. The action will cite the strain on the nation’s fuel supply caused by the Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine.
“This industry has a role to play in a sustainable energy future,” Biden said. “But I’m here today because homegrown biofuels have a role to play right now, if we work together. If we work together, prices will (come) under control and reduce costs for families.”
Former President Donald Trump’s administration in 2019 used federal rule-making to allow for the year-round sale of E15, making it available during the summers of 2020 and 2021. But this past December, a federal court struck down that rule based on procedure, making E15 once again unavailable during the summer.
The Biden administration believes its use of the emergency rule will stand up to legal review.
“It’s great news for consumers,” said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Renewable Fuels Association of Iowa. E15 “is selling for 10, 20, 30 cents per gallon less. Why would we want that to go away in the middle of an energy crisis when we’ve embargoed oil from Russia and other places?”
Shaw, who attended Tuesday’s event, said the administration’s move also provides good news and some stability for ethanol producers and retail locations, which can now be confident that E15 will remain available at least through May 2023.
“The emergency action today means we’ll be able to sell E15 all through 2022,” Shaw said. “From the ethanol (industry’s) perspective, not only is it the gallons that we’ll still be able to sell this summer, but it buys us time to get a permanent fix in place.”
The Biden administration’s emergency action is by its nature a short-term solution for the ethanol industry. Advocates say they hope federal lawmakers are able to create a more permanent solution to making E15 available year-round.
In a statement, Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds praised the move while acknowledging its short-term impact.
“Thank-you to the Biden administration for this very welcome news. While there is more to be done from the administration to address high energy and fuel prices, unrestricted access to E15 is a great first step,” Reynolds said in the statement. “This action, although temporary, will ensure Iowans continued access to E15 and higher blends of ethanol. It is critical that the EPA implements this in a way to fully allow E15 for the entire summer driving season.”
On a press call earlier Tuesday, Iowa Republicans applauded the Biden administration’s emergency action to allow for the summer sale of E15, but also criticized the Democratic president, pinning increasing costs to consumers on Biden’s policies.
“Am I glad about this waiver? Yes I am. Is this enough? No it’s not,” Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann said.
Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said she is hopeful there is a path to making E15’s year-round availability permanent. But she questioned the Biden administration’s commitment to making that happen given its advocacy for increasing the number of electric vehicles on the roads.
E15 “is a solution that is readily available today. The Democrats need to get on board with that today,” Ernst said. “I see it as a win-win situation. I wish President Biden would wrap his arms around it.”
Biden, during his remarks, insisted that biofuels will play a crucial role in his administration’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“This is an industry with a tremendous future,” Biden said. “You simply can’t get to net zero by 2050 without biofuels.”
Biden to announce, in Iowa, waiver to allow E15 summer sales
DES MOINES — President Joe Biden’s administration plans to issue an emergency waiver that will clear the way for the E15 blend of ethanol to be sold this summer, senior White House officials told reporters Monday.
Biden will make the announcement at an event scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at a biofuels processing plant in Menlo, a small town of 345 people, about 45 miles west of Des Moines in Guthrie County.
Iowa is the country’s top producer of corn and corn-based ethanol.
Currently, the E15 blend of ethanol cannot be sold between June 1 and Sept. 15. Former President Donald Trump’s administration in 2019 issued a federal rule allowing for the year-round sale of E15, but a federal appeals court struck down the rule in July of 2021 based on procedure.
During Monday’s press call, senior White House officials said the Biden administration’s plan for an E15 emergency waiver is designed to address rising gas prices, which they attributed to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. The administration plans to cite the strain on the U.S. fuel supply caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine as justification for an emergency waiver to allow the sale of E15 this summer, officials said.
In addition to calls from the renewable and biofuels industries, a bipartisan group of Iowa leaders has called for Biden to issue the emergency waiver.
“(Today), President Biden will have the perfect opportunity to stand with Iowa farmers by allowing summer sales of E15,” Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said in a statement issued Monday. “I’m hopeful (today) the president will finally embrace cleaner, cheaper homegrown biofuels that reduce dependence on foreign sources and empower American workers to solve the energy crisis. I know Iowa biofuel producers can ramp up production and provide affordable, low-carbon biofuels to the country if the president allows summer sales of E15.”
Biden is scheduled to deliver his remarks this afternoon at a bioprocessing plant operated by POET, a biofuels company based just across Iowa’s northwestern border in Sioux Falls, S.D., that operates 12 facilities in Iowa.
This is Biden’s first trip to Iowa since his election in November 2020. It is a part of his administration’s tour of the country to promote rural infrastructure investment and projects.
“I have always believed that for America to succeed, rural America must succeed,” Biden said in a statement issued by the White House on Monday. “Since taking office, my administration has focused on building pathways to the middle class for rural Americans in rural America — including investing in rural infrastructure and rebuilding the communities that feed and fuel our country.”
Iowa will receive roughly $5 billion over five years in new federal funding under the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the White House said when the bill was being approved by Congress.
Capitol Notebook: AG Miller asks Biden for ethanol waiver
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller is asked the Environmental Protection Agency to allow the sale of gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol — E15 — this summer to ease prices at the pump.
“Doing so will give the citizens of our states relief from the volatile and record-high gas prices, including price increases caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine,” said a letter from the Miller and Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt to Michael Regan, EPA administrator.
Miller, a Democrat seeking re-election, joins many Republicans and ethanol industry leaders in calling for the Biden administration to use E15 to ease gas price pressures on consumers.
Air-quality regulations prohibit the sale of E15 from June 1 to Sept. 15 in many areas of the United States. The EPA has the authority to allow E15 fuel to be sold year-round when “extreme or unusual fuel or fuel additive supply circumstances exist.”
Schmidt and Miller said that “issuing the waiver would result in both lower pump prices and lower overall tailpipe emissions,” because E15 has lower emissions than E10, which can be sold year-round.
Iowa and Kansas are among the nation’s top ethanol producers.
RETIREMENT SPEECHES: Another sign the end of the legislative session is approaching is retirement speeches. However, with 18 House members retiring, Speaker Pro Tempore John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, has made some changes to keep the legislative process moving.
He asked that lawmakers simply give their retiring colleagues a round of applause and then continue with legislative activity. In the past, they were followed by reception lines with lawmakers congratulating the retiree. Wills said each speech typically takes a half- hour. However, there’s no time limit on retirement speeches.
Rep. Dave Williams, D-Cedar Falls, who has served two terms, was the first to deliver a retirement speech Monday.
GOP Reps. Cecil Dolecheck of Mount Ayr, Jarad Klein of Keota and Ross Paustian of DeWitt, and Democratic Rep. Molly Donahue of Cedar Rapids also gave retirement speeches.
DNR LAND INVENTORY: Legislation to require the Department of Natural Resources to continue to maintain the publicly accessible inventory of land managed or owned by the state that began in 2018 was approved 85-12.
SF 2323 The bill requires DNR to maintain the inventory on its website and update the inventory within 60 days of acquiring new property or acquiring a management interest in any property. It also adds reporting requirements for county conservation boards, said Rep. Shannon Latham, R-Sheffield.
The state owns about 1 percent of Iowa’s 36 million acres. There are 390,111 acres under the jurisdiction of DNR. That’s about 40 percent of the total conservation and recreation lands open to public access.
The majority — 378,526 acres — is managed by the DNR as wildlife management areas, state parks and recreations areas, and state forests. All are open to public use. More than 40,000 of those acres are lakes.
Nearly 11,600 acres owned by the state under the jurisdiction of the DNR are managed by another entity, most commonly county conservation boards.
DNR land acquisition peaked in 1990s at nearly 70,000 acres. Since then, DNR acquisitions have dropped to about 35,000 acres in each of the past two decades to less than 5,000 acres this decade.
SF 2323 was previously approved by the Senate, 45-0.