DES MOINES–Iowa Democratic Party Chair, Derek Eadon, issued the following statement in response to pro-Trump, “Spirit of America”, rallies held in Iowa today :
“President Donald Trump turned his back on Iowa and the entire farming community this week with an executive order that guts the Renewable Fuels Standard and threatens the livelihood of thousands of Iowa farmers. Reports outlined President Trump’s plans to eliminate a quota during the refinery process. This is a direct attack on Iowa’s agricultural community. Iowa Democrats believe that “The Spirit of America” includes the hardworking farmers who help feed America and fuel our vehicles. When Iowa farmers start to see a decrease in profits and less money in their bank accounts, they’ll have President Trump to thank and the Iowa Republicans who defended him to blame.
“During his first month in office, the only thing President Trump has proven to the American public is that he cannot be trusted and cares only about lining the pockets of his billionaire buddies. Almost daily, a new scandal emerges from this administration that should make Iowa’s suspect of President Trump’s ability to lead. From nepotism to business conflicts of interests to Russian attacks on our democracy, the first six weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency have been littered with scandals and controversy. It’s time for President Trump to put an end to his victory lap and start leading our nation with the dignity and grace that the office of the presidency deserves.”
Background: After reports of plummeting poll numbers in the state of Iowa, four pro-Trump rallies will be held across the state today. Two of the locations are organized near border states to inflate numbers. One rally will be held in the state capital of Des Moines and another in the conservative county of Wapello where Trump bested Clinton by over twenty points. The rallies in Iowa come on the heels of reports from earlier this week that revealed a Trump executive order that will force gas stations instead of refineries to be responsible for blending biofuels. Trump’s billionaire adviser and oil refinery owner, Carl Icahn, spearheaded the deal without any discussion with members of the Renewable Fuel Standard community. This isn’t the first time Donald Trump has indicated that he will toy with the RFS, and many Iowa ethanol leaders question his commitment to Iowa farmers that he will protect the industry that is the foundation of Iowa’s agricultural community.
U.S. ethanol group clashes with Icahn over details of biofuels negotiation
Chris Prentice and Jennifer Ablan // Reuters
March 3, 2017
“The head of the Renewable Fuels Association says billionaire investor Carl Icahn told him last week President Donald Trump was about to issue an order overhauling the U.S. biofuels program – something both Icahn and the White House have denied.”
This Billionaire Advising President Trump Could Make Millions Off a New Ethanol Policy
Justin Worland // TIME
March 2, 2017
“Billionaire Carl Icahn stands to make millions of dollars if the Trump administration pushes through an ethanol policy currently under consideration, according to reports.”
Icahn’s Trump Relationship Sparks a Civil War in the U.S. Ethanol Industry
Mario Parker // Bloomberg News
March 2, 2017
“Now there’s disarray in the biofuels world. Fuels America, a lobby group with members throughout the agricultural supply chain, said Tuesday it had severed ties with the Renewable Fuels Association. Both the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and the Illinois Renewable Fuels Association said they oppose any efforts to change the law.”
Crony Capitalism at Work? Trump Adviser Carl Icahn Strong-Arms Ethanol Lobby to Save His Company Millions
David Dayen // The Intercept
March 2, 2017
“Both Republican senators from Iowa, the nation’s leading biofuel state, oppose the change Icahn wants. Sen. Joni Ernst called it something that would benefit “a select few.”
Renewable fuels groups, convenience stores protest proposed Trump order
Donnelle Eller // Des Moines Register
February 28, 2017
“That’s concerning in Iowa, the nation’s largest producer of ethanol and biodiesel. The mandate helps create strong demand for the state’s corn, soybeans and other products. Calling it a “self-serving insider deal,” Skor said the Renewable Fuel Association is not advocating on the “side of the ethanol industry or the American farmer.”
Trump to shift biofuel blending burden off U.S. refiners: sources
Chris Prentice // Reuters
February 28, 2017
“It also drew sharp criticism from some ethanol groups who said Trump’s regulation adviser, billionaire investor and refinery owner Carl Icahn, had engaged in self-dealing by pushing for the deal.”
GROWTH ENERGY DENOUNCES ILLEGITIMATE EFFORTS TO REWRITE RFS
Growth Energy Press Release
February 28, 2017
“Any assertion that this tradeoff would ‘greatly expand the market opportunities for ethanol’ is simply untrue. An RVP waiver means little if retailers no longer have an incentive to sell higher ethanol blends. This would halt and likely reverse all the progress we’ve made with hundreds of gasoline retailers who now offer consumers higher blends of ethanol. Changing the point of obligation impacts hundreds, if not thousands of new parties, demanding new rules, new staff, and new infrastructure.”
Trump administration pushing massive EPA changes
Anthony Adragna // POLITICO
February 28, 2017
“Trump’s administration plans to issue an executive order changing the Renewable Fuel Standard so that oil refiners would no longer be responsible for meeting the EPA biofuels mandates, leaving that job instead to gasoline wholesalers who supply fuel to retail outlets, Bob Dinneen, CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, tells Pro’s Eric Wolff. That move is likely to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to CVR Energy, a company owned by Trump regulation czar Carl Icahn.”
TRUMP CONSIDERING CHANGE TO RFS POINT OF OBLIGATION
DTN/Progressive Farmer
February 28, 2017
“Bloomberg reported on Monday night the RFA joined billionaire energy investor Carl Icahn in asking the White House to change the rule, drawing outrage from a number of other ethanol and agriculture industry groups Monday night.”
Why The Ethanol Industry Should Fear President Trump
Robert Rapier // Forbes Magazine
January 22, 2017
“Trump’s pick to head the EPA — Scott Pruitt — has repeatedly fought against the RFS. As EPA Administrator, Pruitt would have the authority to invoke a waiver to lower the volume of ethanol that must be blended into the fuel supply — a move he has advocated in the past.”
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