Iowa leaders share mixed reactions to new ethanol, biodiesel levels
Des Moines Register: After battling efforts this fall to lower the renewable fuels mandate, Iowa political and industry leaders expressed mixed emotions with the new standard set for blending ethanol and biodiesel in the nation’s fuel supply. On Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said oil companies must blend at least 15 billion gallons of the conventional corn-based ethanol into the nation’s fuel supply next year. It set advanced biofuel levels at 4.29 billion gallons, including 288 million gallons of cellulosic biofuel. And the 2019 biodiesel levels of 2.1 billion gallons are unchanged from 2018. “I want to thank the EPA for setting the volume for conventional ethanol at the maximum of 15 million gallons. That’s so important for our farmers and our economy,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said. “But I’m disappointed that the EPA has chosen not to raise the biodiesel volume.”