(Radio Iowa) – President Trump made an ethanol announcement via twitter this weekend. Trump indicated E-P-A rules will be changed so states may choose to let gas pumps dispense a 15 percent blend of ethanol — called E15 — from pumps currently used for E10. Trump called Iowa Senator Joni Ernst Saturday as she was meeting with campaign volunteers.

“I’m just putting out an order that…our important ethanol industry will be allowed to use the 10% pumps for the 15% blend. That saves tremendous amounts of money for the people in the ethanol industry, like hundreds of millions of dollars I hear is the conversion and there’s no reason to do it,” Trump said.

Farm groups said the news will help promote consumer acceptance of the higher blend of ethanol and suggested it will increase demand for corn and corn prices. Critics called Trump’s announcement an election year gambit that depends upon state approval and faulted Trump for failing to deny waivers the oil industry seeks to get out of the requirement that ethanol be blended into gasoline.

As Trump spoke by phone with Ernst on Saturday, he thanked the campaign volunteers in the room and revealed former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad — the current U.S. Ambassador to China — will be flying back to Iowa to campaign for Trump’s reelection. Branstad’s son, Eric, played a key role in Trump’s 2016 victories in Iowa and Wisconsin and is a senior advisor to Trump’s 2020 campaign.