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Congressman says farm bill won’t address year-round E15

A House Ag Committee member says the farm bill will not have language allowing year-round nationwide E15 fuel.

Wisconsin Congressman Derrick Van Orden says lawmakers couldn’t agree on E15 farm bill language. “The longer-term solution is actually a separate piece of legislation from the farm bill because we couldn’t get it in the farm bill, so we’ve been working on a piece to make sure that is solidified.”

Van Orden is also a member of the Rural Domestic Energy Council, which tried to work out the differences between corn belt and oil state lawmakers.  He’s optimistic the separate bill will get the support it needs. “It’s got to get done, I mean it just makes sense. We’re not forcing anybody to use E15 or E10. We’re just making it available, and you’re still going to have super there, you’re still going to have the other types of fuels but just allowing the American citizens to have a choice is what we’re all about.” Van Orden says he doesn’t want to have farmers wringing their hands every year, wondering if they’re going to get a waiver to blend summertime E15.

Van Orden made his comments after a farmer roundtable discussion with Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins on Monday near La Crosse, Wisconsin.