Advanced BioFuels USA

(Biofuels Vision 2020/Ethanol Producer Magazine) In the run up to the November election, Biofuels Vision 2020 is launching a new ad campaign raising the alarm over a major regulatory threat to the economic recovery in Iowa. The new sizable, five-figure digital ad buy calls on Iowa voters to share their concerns about the Trump administration’s track record on biofuels, which has become a major focus of debate in key Midwest races for the House, Senate, and the presidency. The display and social media ads will appear in heavy rotation over the next three weeks, highlighting that “rural America is under siege by Trump’s EPA” and calling on the president to keep his promises to Iowa corn and soybean farmers. 

“Rural communities face historic economic hardship in the wake of COVID-19, trade wars, and years of regulatory abuse,” said Biofuels Vision 2020 member Daryl Haack, a corn farmer in Primghar, Iowa and member of the board of Little Sioux Corn Processors. “We are not going to sit idly by and watch the Trump EPA sabotage the very foundation of our rural recovery. Iowans can’t afford to pay the price for any more backdoor handouts to well-connected oil companies.” 

The issue has taken on new urgency after the U.S. EPA began considering a new round of retroactive oil company exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), vastly expanding a controversial practice that has already destroyed demand for more than four billion gallons of homegrown biofuels, made from Iowa farm crops like soybeans and corn. Just this month, the EPA confirmed six new petitions from refiners seeking to skirt obligations under the RFS—bringing the total to 86, including 58 retroactive exemption requests.  

“There’s no reason President Trump can’t fix this well before November, when Iowa voters will decide whether or not he really cares about rural America,” added Haack. “We’re not asking for anything unreasonable—just keep your promise and follow the law. The era of demand destruction has to end now, so Iowa biofuel plants can reopen and farm families can focus on rebuilding the agricultural supply chain.” 

The retroactive “gap-year” exemptions are designed specifically to help oil companies evade limits on the EPA handouts set down by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Opposition to the maneuver has been strong and swift among Midwest governors, farm and biofuel leaders, senators, House lawmakers, and other concerned farmers.  READ MORE

Iowa farming group slams Ernst over oil and gas support (E&E News)

Ernst’s words don’t match actions on COVID-19 relief for fossil fuels industry (Bleeding Heartland)

Bipartisan group launches effort to oppose rural policies (Sydney Daily News)

Biofuels Vision 2020 Launches Ad Campaign (Energy.AgWired.com)

GROUP HITS ERNST: (Politico’s Morning Energy)

Ag Policy Blog: Trump Visiting “Ethanol Country” in Minnesota (DTN Progressive Farmer)

Excerpt from Sydney Daily News: Rural America 2020, a new national campaign fighting back against Trump Administration policies that are hurting already-struggling rural communities across key 2020 states, announced a slate of rural leaders in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa who will be leading the charge in the campaign’s efforts.

According to a press release, the groups will tackle Trump’s trade war, spread the word about the Trump Administration’s rural community failures, give a voice to rural communities, and provide policy solutions for a stronger rural America. The group is chaired by Christopher Gibbs, a Maplewood, Ohio soybean farmer, former Trump voter, local GOP chairman, and USDA Farm Service Agency official who has become an outspoken critic of the president and his trade policies.

“Rural communities all across this nation are struggling under this administration,” said Gibbs, chairman of the Rural America 2020 board. “I knew we were in trouble when the president said trade wars are good and easy to win. Lost trade opportunities, dwindling health care providers, rural hospital closures, below cost of production prices for commodities and livestock, collapse of the biofuel market, bankruptcies, and suicides all plagued rural America well before COVID-19. The uncoordinated response of the Trump administration to the pandemic has upended traditional food supply chains and only made things worse for our dairy, livestock, and fresh produce farmers.

“Too often rural America is portrayed with a broad brush as Trump country,” Gibbs said. “Under Rural America 2020, we’ve built a network of rural leaders in the most important states to show our rural neighbors that they are not alone in clearing their throats, standing up and speaking the truth about how their livelihoods have been put in jeopardy by this administration’s policies. We are committed to giving a voice to rural folks and making it safe for them to speak truth to power when it comes to saving their farms, businesses and way of life. Rural America 2020 is a way to focus that wave of discontent toward a positive outcome.”

In addition to building community level coalitions, Rural America 2020 will be advertising in key states to highlight real farmer’s voices who are critical of the president and his policies. This week, Rural America 2020 released a statewide radio advertisement in Michigan featuring Cheryl Kobernik, a cherry farmer in Frankfort, Michigan.

Watch a video of Gibbs discussing Rural America 2020’s mission and work at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIdvvjllrOk.

Rural America 2020 is a 501 (c) 4 and information about the campaigns leadership can be found RuralAmerica2020.org/about-us. Information on the full network of Rural America 2020 state leaders can be found at https://ruralamerica2020.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Rural-America-Steering-Committee-Rural-Leaders.pdf.   READ MORE

Excerpt from Politico’s Morning Energy:  GROUP HITS ERNST: Iowa Farmers Union is releasing a radio and online ad today hitting Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who’s facing a competitive reelection bid, for calling for “bailing out-of-state fossil fuel corporations that have been polluting our air and trying to derail Iowa’s ethanol industry.” Listen here.  READ MORE