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Dusty Johnson: Congress nears deal on year-round E15

A U.S. Congressman from South Dakota on the Rural Domestic Energy Council says a solution for nationwide, year-round E15 could be coming soon.

“I think we’re getting really close to having a release.”

Dusty Johnson tells Brownfield the details will come from the council co-chairs, but “I think we have a good work product that will hold up to scrutiny.”

The council missed two deadlines set in February to move legislation forward, which has been met with some concern in agriculture. Johnson says success is still achievable even if a refiner issue has been hard to work through.

“We want E15 and we want to maintain blending requirements for some mix of small, medium, and large refiners. We feel like that’s important. That is the provision. It’s that demand from farm country that’s taking a little bit while, longer to work out.”

He says corn farmers and ethanol plants in South Dakota understand the situation, and Congress is committed to getting it done.