A group of ethanol supporters from Kansas made their first American Coalition for Ethanol DC Fly-in last month and were pleased to be able to have their voices heard on Capitol Hill.

Doug Sommer and Tiffany Brooks from East Kansas Agri-Energy were joined by Taylor Williamson, Kansas Corn Growers, and Jessica Monserrate with BASF on their Hill visits, which included getting to meeting with Rep. Tracey Mann (R-KS) of the state’s 1st district. “That surprised me, I didn’t know we were going to do that,” said Brooks of being able to meet with members of Congress.

The team visited other Congressional offices that were not as favorable toward ethanol as Rep. Mann. “It was good to see the other perspective of critics and have the potential to change their minds,” said Sommer.

Williamson, who is in charge of regulatory affairs for the Kansas Corn Growers, says their opposition meetings included the offices of representatives from West Virginia, Utah, and Montana. “We did have one meeting that was a little more combative but we weathered it through and it’s always good to hear the opposition instead of just listening to the champions all the time.”

2025 ACE Fly-in Kansas team 4:04