(Radio Iowa) – U-S Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says promoting year-round sales of gasoline with a higher blend of ethanol is at the top of President Trump’s biofuels agenda. During a campaign rally in Iowa in January, President Trump announced he’d sign a bill to permanently override E-P-A rules that bar the sale of E-15 in the summer months due to smog concerns. Rollins spoke at a campaign rally for Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn yesterday (Tuesday).
“I see my E15 cadre over here,” Rollins said when she took the stage. And Rollins noted a vote is scheduled in the U.S. House next week on E-15. “President Trump along with your very relentless congressional leaders who have been working at this and we’re getting so close, but finally getting congress to pass year-round E15. The top of the list.” The policy was removed from the Farm Bill before it passed the House last week, but the U.S. House is scheduled to vote on an E-15 bill on May 13th.
Nunn says he’s all about “Iowa nice,” but Iowa’s congressional delegation had to scramble to get that done. “When backroom deals in Washington happen, you can know that as hard as our farmers work in the field, we’ve got a team in Washington working just as hard for them,” Nunn said, “…which is why not only we got the Farm Bill passed, but we’re moving E15…year-round to the (House) floor this coming week.” Rollins, who spoke to the crowd before Nunn arrived on stage, touted use of an even higher blend of ethanol.
“Thanks to our corn farmers and our ethanol producers we are making gas more affordable. Here in Iowa E85 averages $3.19 at the pump, while non-ethanol options average $4.54 per gallon,” That is $1.35 cheaper than based on what you all do in this state.” Rollins also highlighted the recent announcement there will be a new agency hub in a Des Moines suburb to support the operations of the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
“We will continue to deconstruct USDA in Washginton and move us and our work to the people that we represent including our just announced Food and Safety Center in Urbandale, Iowa, everybody,” Rollins said, to cheers. Most U-S-D-A food safety employees are based at food processing facilities around the country. The Urbandale operation will handle training, financial operations and I-T services connected to that work. “That office will become one of the largest USDA offices in the country, with hundreds of employees,” Rollins said.
The U-S-D-A is converting space it already has in Urbandale into offices for about 200 employees.
