As President Trump was starting a roundtable on workforce development in Iowa Thursday, his very first words were about ethanol.

“I’m very close, I have to tell you, to pulling off something that you’ve been looking forward to for many years and that’s the 12 month E15 waiver,”said Trump. “It’s a very complex process.”

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor said they were happy to hear those words. “Increased access to US markets will provide America’s farmers with some financial confidence, and we hope that President Trump will direct the EPA to act quickly to provide year-round RVP relief.”

Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen said he was encouraged because, unlike his comments about E15 in April, President Trump did not mention also helping out refiners. “Refiners are doing quite fine today, seeing record profits and unprecedented exports. Farmers are not,” said Dinneen. “Farmers need relief now in the form of increased market opportunities. E15 year-round would do that.”

American Coalition for Ethanol CEO Brian Jennings added that “actions speak louder than words. There’s a clear recognition of refinery wins in the form of so-called hardship waivers and collapsing RIN prices have caused real damage in rural America — it is time to carry out the repeated pledge to allow E15 to be sold year-round outside of a deal that would serve as another win for refiners.”