Washington, DC — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says she talked with President Trump twice on Thursday about EPA waivers to big oil companies that have reduced the amount of ethanol that must be blended into gasoline.
Ernst says Trump, as well as EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, and other White House staff were on a conference call. They discussed a number of different options for farmers and those employed in the ethanol industry.
The ethanol industry has been harshly critical of the latest round of ethanol waivers. POET Biorefining, which operates six plants in Iowa, has shut down an ethanol plant in Indiana and announced this week it is reducing production at others. Ernst says given the make-up of a key committee in the U.S. Senate, there’s little chance for a pro-ethanol bill to clear Congress. She’s optimistic the Trump Administration will come up with a solution.
Ernst made her comments Thursday night after a G-O-P fundraiser in Forest City. She held town hall meetings in Humbolt, Emmetsburg, and Forest City on Friday.
