Page 28 - KMA Ag Mag 2020

28 Overcoming Current Challenges in the Ag Community
KMAland 2020

better for your engine and saves the Phase One trade deal does ap- the gallons lost from refinery ex-
you money. In short, it’s a superior pear to move toward opening the emptions back to the RFS.
product whether Big Oil likes it or Chinese market for US ethanol Unfortunately, despite commit-
not. We are on our way to making and distillers grains. If this hap- ments made to our elected lead-
Unleaded 88 the new normal for pens in a major way, it could be ers, rather than provide certainty
fuel in the United States. I hope the single biggest short-term fac- against future destruction, on De-
folks like me can soon buy high- tor in restoring financial health to cember 19, President Trump ulti-
er ethanol blend in and around the biofuels community. mately chose an alternative pro-
Shenandoah. But overshadowing this prog- posal put forth by EPA, that left
We shouldn’t forget about bio- ress was a year-long fight to pro- the integrity of the RFS blend lev-
diesel either. In another big 2019 tect the RFS from an onslaught els up to EPA’s discretion. Need-
policy victory, the federal bio- of unjustified refiner exemptions. less to say, we were angry and dis-
diesel blenders tax credit was re- The united biofuels community appointed.
instated following two years of message was simple and clear: Although justifiably upset, we’ve
non-stop effort. Unlike previous The RFS promised 15 billion gal- been so focused on what we didn’t
actions, Congress actually provid- lons of ethanol blending and 15 get that we have neglected to ap-
ed some certainty by extending it should mean 15. preciate what we did get.
through 2022. We shouldn’t forget that prior
There was also progress on a to Dec. 19, there was no way
couple of trade fronts in 2019. to undo the damage of refin-
The Iowa Renewable Fuels As- ery exemptions to hold the
sociation (IRFA), the group I help RFS harmless. There was
lead, joined the American Coali- no way to make the 15
tion for Ethanol and U.S. Grains billion-gallon RFS actu-
Council to host a Mexican trade ally be 15 billion gal-
T mission to Iowa this past summer. there nevertheless is now
lons. While not certain,
You’ll probably not be shocked to
a pathway
learn that Big Oil is spreading the
same lies about ethanol to Mexi-
can retailers as they’ve tried to
spread here in the U.S.
This trade mission brought key
Mexican retailers to Iowa to learn I o w a
directly, not just from ethanol ad- Governor Kim Reyn-
vocates, but from fellow retailers. olds and Senators
The trip was a great success and Chuck Grassley
has helped spur ethanol blending and Joni Ernst led a
in Mexico. If fully realized, Mexi- multi-state delega-
co could become the first billion- tion to meet with
gallon export market for US etha- President Donald
nol producers. Trump in the Oval
The year ended with positive Office on September
news from another potentially 12. During the meeting
large export market. While it’s too the President agreed to a
soon to draw firm conclusions, proposal that would restore