As the co-chair of the Congressional Biofuels Caucus, I have been a proud leader in the fight for a strong Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and have long worked to highlight its importance to Iowa. The RFS is an important policy that creates jobs in rural America, boosts economic growth, and lowers gas prices. It represents the hard work Iowa’s farmers and rural communities put into creating a fuel source for the future and decreasing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
Recently, I and my fellow co-chairs of the Biofuels Caucus wrote to President Trump to push his administration to continue to support a strong Renewable Fuel Standard. We reminded him that communities in rural America depend on agriculture and manufacturing jobs for employment, and that the RFS supports nearly 400,000 of these jobs across the nation. In fact, the renewable fuels industry supports over 42,000 jobs in Iowa alone, and I am proud that Iowa is the largest producer of renewable fuels in the country.
Earlier this month, I was proud to help author the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act (H.R. 1311). This bipartisan legislation would broaden fuel choices for retailers and consumers by removing an unnecessary regulatory barrier on the sale of E15 gasoline in the summer months. Ethanol is a homegrown renewable energy source that supports millions of jobs throughout the country, and expanding consumer choice at the pump will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and stimulate economic development here at home.
I am proud that Iowa is a national leader in the production and use of biofuels, and I remain committed to fighting for energy policies that create good paying jobs in our communities, grow Iowa’s economy, and safeguard the long-term environmental health of our state and nation.
Sincerely,
Dave Loebsack
