The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is excited to help welcome President Donald Trump to Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC (SIRE) on Tuesday in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to celebrate the elimination of an outdated regulatory barrier that had been stifling competition, increasing gas prices, and worsening air pollution. On May 31, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed regulatory changes that finally allow gasoline containing 15% ethanol (E15) to be sold year-round across the country. E15 offers consumers lower costs at the pump, higher octane, and reduced emissions. The EPA announcement was the culmination of a process that began at an October 2018 event, also in Council Bluffs, in which President Trump directed the Agency to implement the regulatory fix before the 2019 summer driving season. SIRE, an RFA member company, operates a state-of-the-art ethanol biorefinery that produces approximately 130 million gallons of high-octane fuel ethanol per year, along with more than 360,000 tons of nutrient-rich animal feed. Mike Jerke is the company's CEO and represents SIRE on RFA's Board of Directors. In anticipation of the President's visit, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper stated, "We look forward to joining Mike and the entire SIRE team in welcoming President Trump to America's heartland, and we thank the President for keeping his promise to remove the unnecessary and ridiculous regulatory barrier that prohibited the summertime use of E15 in most of the country. President Trump understands that ethanol plants like SIRE are important economic engines in rural America, supporting good-paying jobs and bolstering the farm economy. And he knows ethanol reduces prices at the pump, plays a key role in American energy dominance, and helps clean the air we breathe. I can say without hyperbole or exaggeration that without President Trump's personal interest and advocacy on year-round E15, this critical regulatory reform would not have happened. We are thrilled to have President Trump visit Iowa, so we can personally thank him for his commitment to our nation's ethanol producers and farmers." SIRE CEO Mike Jerke added, "It is certainly a high honor to welcome the President of the United States to SIRE. The employees and owners of SIRE are very proud of what we have accomplished here. This plant has helped to revitalize southwest Iowa, providing economic opportunity and a new market for local farmers. The year-round use of E15 will create even more long-term value for our fuel while further lowering prices at the pump. We are grateful for President Trump's leadership and determination to remove this burdensome regulatory barrier."
