Ernst on board with new USDA initiative to boost ethanol, biodiesel retail sales

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) on Jan. 21 applauded a new initiative by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to build out domestic ethanol and biodiesel infrastructure at retail gas stations across the country.

“As the number one ethanol and biodiesel producing state in the country, Iowans understand how important this step is for ensuring the future success of the industry, and I commend the Trump administration for making this a priority,” Sen. Ernst said on Tuesday.

During the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in Altoona, Iowa, on Jan. 16, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Steve Censky announced that USDA is creating the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) and working with stakeholders to help increase the sales of both E15, which is gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol, and B20 biodiesel, which is diesel blended with up to 20 percent biodiesel.

“I’m thrilled to see USDA working with folks across the country to find ways to expand infrastructure for higher blends of ethanol — such as E15 that we’ve made available year-round — to create more choice at the pump and increase demand for the product,” said Sen. Ernst, chairman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, which oversees USDA’s Rural Development programs across facilities, utilities, loans, and renewable energy.

Sen. Ernst, who continues to work to advance and support renewable fuels, is an original cosponsor of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Integrity Act of 2019, S. 1840, which is lead sponsored by U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE). The legislation aims to ensure that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency properly accounts for exempted gallons in the annual renewable volume obligations it sets each November, according to the senator’s staff.