President Trump said last week he would support lifting restrictions on ethanol sales, a move that could provide a boost to Iowa corn growers. There are still questions, however, if that waiver to allow E15 to be sold year-round will require Congressional action. Lynn Chrisp (of Hastings, Nebraska) is first vice-president of the National Corn Growers Association’s Corn Board. He says the N-C-G-A believes the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to make that change. “We have taken a stand for a long time that this can be an administrative fix, as far as extending the waivers to E15 and blends above that,” Chrisp said.

The E-P-A currently bans the sale of E15 during the summer. At the same time, N-C-G-A continues to call on the E-P-A to stop giving RIN hardship exemptions to oil refiners. “It has a real negative effect on the RFS (Renewable Fuels Standard), to the point that it’s going to reduce the obligation by as much as a billion gallons – which is just something that cannot happen,” Chrisp said.

It looks like the E15 and RIN issues could get tied up in the courts for some time. According to Chrisp, the N-C-G-A is “up for that fight.” Trump’s comments about ethanol came in a meeting last Thursday at the White House. The meeting included Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.

(Radio Iowa, w/Thanks to Ken Anderson, Brownfield Ag News)