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Vote on E15 could come soon, Feenstra says

One lawmaker says a year-round E15 deal could get done soon.

Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra, a member of the House Rural Domestic Energy Council, says the group had a positive meeting on Wednesday.

“This is full on, year round E15 and we worked with the small, midsized and large refiners,” Feenstra says. “We worked with all the biofuels folks. We believe we’ve got something that works for all farmers…We’ve got to get it across the finish line.”

Feenstra told Radio Iowa that President Trump’s recently stated support for E15 has been helpful in negotiations.

“Agriculture’s the backbone of this state and we have to make sure we’re helping our farmers and that means opening new markets,” Feenstra said. “We don’t want handouts. We want new markets.

Nebraska Congressman Adrian Smith, also a member of the council, says pushback from small and mid-sized refiners has been the main holdup.

“I’m pleased that we’ve elevated the profile such that a lot of folks are saying they have no opposition to E15 itself, but it’s in the details of the Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) for example that a lot of the refiners want access to.”

The council has until February 25^th to submit a bill for a vote on the House floor.