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NCGA board member optimistic E15 deal will get done despite continued setbacks

A National Corn Growers Association board member says ethanol supporters can’t ease up on the push for permanent, year-round E15 sales.

“I’ve been working on it close to 14 years,” Kelly Nieuwenhuis said. “We are so close.”

Nieuwenhuis tells Brownfield the issue has most recently been held up by some small refineries.

“We had a bill written, it was ready to go on the CR bill, and last minute it got pulled out by a few states with a few small refineries that were worried about not getting their small refinery exemptions. That part is frustrating.”

But Nieuwenhuis, who farms in northwestern Iowa and is a past president of the Siouxland Energy Cooperative Board of Directors, says he’s optimistic the congressional E15 Rural Domestic Energy Council will get it done.

“I think with the people we have working on this in D.C. right now that we can get this across the finish line here in the next month or so.”

The council is expected to submit proposals by February 15th, with lawmakers targeting an agreement by the end of the month.