Initial Iowa Caucus results are showing Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders in the lead, both of whom profess strong support for ethanol and biodiesel, according to Biofuels Vision 2020. In fact, all of the top candidates are friendly to biofuels, including Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Biofuels Vision 2020 spent months asking …
Presidential Hopeful Says Waivers are “Killing” Ethanol
Ethanol and small refinery waivers came up in the middle of a trade question during the Democratic presidential candidate debate Wednesday on MSNBC. South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg was asked whether he would continue the “farm subsidies” that President Trump has authorized to help farmers struggling from the impact of the trade war with China. “We shouldn’t have to …
Latest Agri-Pulse Poll Shows Strong Support for Trump
It’s probably safe to say that no president in recent history has talked about agriculture as much as President Donald J. Trump, who has managed to mention farmers in nearly every campaign stop he has made in the past week. That “I love farmers” strategy continues to pay off, despite trade policy strategies that have impacted agricultural exports. A new …
Northey Confirmed But No White House Deal on RFS
Bill Northey is at last free to take the job at USDA that he was nominated for almost six months ago after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) lifted his hold on the nomination and allowed the confirmation Tuesday. The Senate confirmed Northey on a voice vote to become USDA’s undersecretary for farm production and conservation as Sens. Cruz, Pat Toomey (R-PA), …
Ethanol Politics Hold Up Northey Nomination
Refinery state senators are hitting back against the Trump administration for bowing to pressure from ethanol supporters last week and abandoning proposed changes in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) this week put a hold on the nomination of Iowa’s Bill Northey for USDA Under Secretary of Farm Production and Conservation, who was approved by the Senate …
Trump Commits to Agriculture in Iowa
President Donald Trump stood among various models of John Deere and Case IH farm equipment as he pledged to boost agriculture exports, loosen federal regulations on the agriculture industry, and support ethanol and biofuels yesterday while speaking to a crowd of about 250 at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “Today we are celebrating the dignity of work and …
Terry Brandstad Addresses Ag Outlook Forum
The distinguished speaker at this year’s USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum was former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who was recently nominated as ambassador to China. Branstad took time during his speech to praise incoming Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and share his thoughts on the future of agriculture and economic development in rural America. “Simply put, American agriculture is tied to …
#NBB17 Spotlight on Washington Session
The ever-popular Spotlight on Washington session at the 2017 National Biodiesel Conference was more popular than ever this year with the advent of a new presidential administration. Back by popular demand for the session were former Sen. Byron Dorgan and former Cong. Kenny Hulshof, and they were joined by other DC insiders Jim Massie, Timothy Urban, and Tom Hance. All …
RFA Analysis: #Ethanol Helped Fuel Trump Win
An analysis by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) shows how corn farmers and ethanol producers helped send Donald Trump to the White House. RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen writes about the analysis in The Hill today, pointing to maps that show the counties that “flipped” in the 2016 election. “(T)hese 218 counties were won by President Obama in 2012, …
ACE Urges #Ethanol Advocates to Call for Support
Over the past few weeks President-Elect Donald Trump has been announcing his nominations for Cabinet positions including Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While Trump was supportive of biofuels during his campaign, notes Brian Jennings, executive vice president for the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Pruitt has been vocal in his opposition to clean …