Renewable Fuels: Good Policy and Good Politics For Democrats

by Jon Soltz (VoteVets.org) ... (A)s a veteran who has worked to elect progressive leaders from across the country, let me offer one step that Democrats could take immediately to demonstrate their commitment to economic growth, national security, and climate change in a way that actually resonates in the heartland. This requires only that lawmakers fully embrace policies like the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that support homegrown biofuels.

As a veteran, I’ve seen my fellow troops risk, and lose, their lives in places that are of strategic importance to the United States only because of oil. I’ve also met many who have returned home and are producing biofuels that grow local economies, increase our national security, and reduce carbon emissions. They are able to do this work because the RFS requires oil companies to blend biofuels into our national fuel supply.

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Almost exactly a year before the election, Third Way published a report that showed strong messages around the RFS increased support for Democrat candidates in rural districts in the rural upper-Midwest - in places like Wisconsin, Iowa, and rural Michigan.

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First, we saw candidates like Senator Joni Ernst — who initially said she opposed all energy mandates — change positions and fully embrace the RFS. The GOP made room for candidates willing to embrace the RFS because it was clear that failure to do so helped Democrats win elections. And then, Democrats shot themselves in the foot.

The oil industry funded a series of reports questioning the environmental benefits of biofuels (and arguing, ridiculously, that oil from tar sands in Canada is better for the environment than renewable fuels from plants in the United States). Progressive Democrats from safe seats like Peter Welch of Vermont joined with oil patch Republicans to try kill the program, giving the GOP a key talking point in places like Wisconsin, Iowa and rural Michigan where mistrust of coastal elites has always run high.

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What had been a solid Democratic tool to reach rural voters in swing-districts had become a tool used by Donald Trump to attack Hillary Clinton.

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Democrats were tone deaf to the damage done to their support in rural America by supporting oil industry efforts to repeal or “reform” the program.

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But it’s an important reminder to Democrats (and environmentalists) from the coasts that issues like the RFS are watched closely in the middle of the country. It’s important to recognize that the some of the actions they’ve taken have made it more difficult for Democrats to win in these places. Democrats need strong messages that connect directly to the economic activity in these communities. They need strong national security messages that show they understand how dangerous our addiction to oil is for the United States. And they need strong environmental policies that create economic opportunities in rural America. The RFS does all of those things, and Democrats would be well-advised to take back the issue, especially if Donald Trump fails to fully keep his word. READ MORE