During 2013, 42 ethanol plants in Iowa produced 3.7 billion gallons matching 2011 and 2012. This was reported by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) who also notes that Iowa continues to be the number one ethanol producing state and is estimated to account for nearly 28 percent of national ethanol production for the year.

IRFA points out that the recent start-up of a new we mill and three cellulosic ethanol projects set to go into production in 2014 provide hope for growth next year.

“Iowa ethanol production was up in 2013, but not enough to round the decimal point,” said IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “With the record U.S. corn harvest in the bin and new production facilities coming on line, there is hope that Iowa can once again expand ethanol production.”

“But hanging over that potential like a gray cloud is the EPA proposal to cut the RFS. Maintaining the RFS would launch new E15 and E85 markets and Iowa could easily grow to meet the demand. But without a strong RFS, we’ll be looking for export opportunities to drive production. That’s sad when you consider the U.S. still imports a sizeable chunk of its crude oil,” added Shaw.

IRFA is urging all Iowans to contact President Obama and the EPA to urge them to stand behind a strong renewable fuel standard (RFS). Those wishing to submit a comment can do so on the Fuels America website.