Beating the Drum on Capitol Hill: Grower Leaders Attend ACE Fly-In

This week corn farmers, state and national corn staff and ethanol producers attended the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Government Affairs Summit in Washington, D.C. Attendees took to the Hill for congressional visits to talk about the importance of E15 year-round, the overall benefits of ethanol and how refinery waivers undermine the renewable fuel standard (RFS).

“Being able to show we have a unified voice in Washington, D.C. is critical,” said Ethanol Action Team Chair and Missouri farmer Jay Schutte. “We have a lot of new members of Congress. Attending events like this helps us tell the positive story of corn ethanol and how it benefits consumers, rural America and the environment.”

The conference started with an update from ACE CEO Brian Jennings on the latest policy priorities for the organization: 1) E15 year-round, free of harmful changes to the RIN market; 2) reallocation of RFS blending obligations waived for small refineries and future refinery waivers; and 3) ethanol’s ability to address climate change and improve fuel economy.

“ACE is proud so many farmer leaders take part in our annual fly-ins, and we are grateful we always get such strong support from our partners at the National Corn Growers Association,” said Jennings. “Farmers help us put a human face on the issues that matter most in meetings with lawmakers and administration officials.”

Attendees also heard from USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky and Assistant Administrator of the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation Bill Wehrum.

“Hearing directly from members of the administration is important to me as a farmer because I get a sense for where they are on these issues that impact the ethanol industry, which has a direct impact on my farm and the corn market,” Schutte added.

To see more on the conference, search #ACE19DC on Twitter.