There were over 25 battalions of ethanol troops on Capitol Hill this week to fight for the honor of biofuels, bringing the message to both friends and foes in Congress.

American Coalition for Ethanol president Ron Alverson, a South Dakota farmer and board member for Dakota Ethanol, says the teams had appointments with the offices of more than 130 senators and representatives, and he thought they were well received, even in enemy territory. “We went into what we thought were going to be some pretty hard places – representatives from Alabama, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,” he said. “They were very cordial and they listened well … we were really pleased.”

When meeting with friends like Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE), the ethanol supporters delivered messages of gratitude and asked advice for approaching less friendly lawmakers. They also provided “ammunition” for allies in the form of the packets of the latest information to defend against some of the more popular arguments against ethanol, such as food versus fuel and engine issues with higher blends. “We’ve got some really good arguments and good data…all we can do is go out and tell our story,” said Alverson.

Listen to an interview with Alverson here: Interview with Ron Alverson, South Dakota farmer and American Coalition for Ethanol president

2014 ACE Biofuels Beltway March photo album