IOWA - There's hope in Iowa that a boost in the state's biofuels is coming.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan toured an ethanol plant in Nevada Tuesday and met with Governor Kim Reynolds to discuss e-15 gasoline.
Regan says the EPA’s announcement on biofuel production levels is coming.
Iowa is a top producer of biofuels because of its massive corn and soybean crops.
The Iowa agriculture industry had a sharp disagreement with former President Trump's handling for waivers to oil companies to be exempt from blending ethanol into gasoline.
A legal dispute over how the EPA under Trump awarded the waivers has reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
The EPA now being led by President Biden appointee Regan just denied three ethanol waivers granted on President Trump’s last day in office.
The state's biofuels industry and prominent state Republicans are happy with the Biden administration's stance on waivers, but want more support for the future of biofuels.
Regan also led a roundtable discussion of Iowa farmers and biofuel producers while in Iowa.
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association released a statement after his visit.
“We appreciate Administrator Regan came to Iowa to learn more about biofuels and the important role biofuels will play in America’s clean energy future," said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw. "Today Mr. Regan heard a loud and clear message: biofuels are way more than a transition fuel; biofuels are the net-carbon-negative fuel of the future. Improved production practices at both the farm and plant levels combined with carbon sequestration technologies preparing to be deployed can make biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel net carbon negative over the next decade. That’s something that wind and solar can never achieve. Any plan to significantly reduce carbon emissions over the next decade must include biofuels,"
Regan later tweeted on his meeting with Governor Reynolds, noting they had "shared priorities" on agriculture having a “seat at the table,” water infrastructure investments for clean water, economic development and good jobs and cleanup of superfund site.