Iowa Representative Ashley Hinson has praised a proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revision to a renewable fuel standard rule that pledges to "increase target markets for American farmers" in Iowa, just three weeks before the midterm election, which is shaping up to be quite competitive in Iowa's Senate race. The Hawkeye State is among this year's most competitive Senate races, as Democrat Josh Turek and Republican Hinson vie for the open seat left by retiring Republican Senator Joni Ernst. Polls continue to show a tight race between the two candidates after their first debate last week, where tariffs, immigration and voting records played a major role.
A second debate was held on Tuesday night. Farmers make up a small but influential part of Iowa's electorate. Both candidates have advocated for farmers in their campaign messaging, and Hinson touted her role in Tuesday's announcement.
Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a rule change that would reallocate 100 percent of biofuel requirements exempted for some small refineries to other fuel producers. Essentially, some small oil refineries are exempt from federal requirements to blend or otherwise account for certain volumes of renewable fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, which come from corn and soybeans. The exemptions raised concerns among farmers and biofuel producers that lower compliance obligations could reduce demand for corn- and soybean-based fuels.
Because the number of exemptions granted for 2025 exceeded projections, the agency is proposing to reallocate those exempted volumes to other obligated parties to preserve overall renewable fuel demand and support key markets for farmers. The announcement, while not final, comes only three weeks before the midterm elections. Earlier this year, the administration announced the strongest biofuels blending targets in history, driving demand for Iowa ag products and new investment in our rural communities,” Hinson said in the press release.
With farmers facing such difficult conditions right now, getting this across the finish line is a big deal. I’m grateful to Administrator Zeldin for working with me to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard, and I’ll keep pushing relentlessly for Iowa farmers and biofuels producers throughout this process.” Newsweek reached out to Turek's campaign via email for comment. Despite the benefit to farmers should the proposal go through, Joshua Manske, a corn and soybean farmer with an operation in southwest Iowa, said while he appreciates the reallocation, the proposal felt like the Trump administration was trying to "fix a problem that was created and get back to...equilibrium" for farmers.
"You're happy to see that there's reallocation, but also I got wounded and now you're giving me a Band-Aid," Manske told Newsweek on Wednesday. It's difficult to quantify the monetary benefit an individual farmer might yield from the proposed change, Manske said, although more demand for the product means a better price for farmers. However, he's not quick to forget that the Trump administration seemed to put the oil industry ahead of Midwest grain farmers with the exemptions in the first place.
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