Minnesota Corn Farmers in Favor of the Renewable Fuel Standard Travel to Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, MO (June 9, 2016) – Two Minnesota corn farmers traveled to Kansas City, MO, today to speak out against the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to cut the conventional corn ethanol portion of the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

The EPA is seeking to cut the corn ethanol portion of the RFS by 200 million gallons below what Congress called for when the RFS was passed in 2005 and amended in 2007. The reduction would result in 71.4 million bushels of corn going unsold and $271 million in lost revenue for American corn farmers.

“No distance is too far to travel to speak out in favor of clean, renewable, homegrown corn ethanol,” said Jerry Demmer, a famer near Clarks Grove who made the trek to Kansas City and serves on the Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council. “As a corn farmer, it brings me a tremendous sense of pride to know that the crop I grow on my own farm helps people breathe easier and results in cleaner air. I’ve also been proud to see the role ethanol has played in revitalizing many of our rural communities.”

Minnesota was the first state in the nation to blend its fuel supply with 10 percent corn ethanol in order to meet air quality standards in metro regions. Minnesota has also broken through the mythical “blend wall,” an imaginary barrier used by EPA and the oil industry that claims the nation’s fuel supply can only handle an ethanol blend of 10 percent.

“Ethanol makes up more than 12 percent of Minnesota’s fuel supply. We’re proof that the blend wall simply doesn’t exist,” said Dan Root, a famer near Hayfield who serves on the Minnesota Corn Growers Association Board of Directors and traveled with Demmer to Kansas City. “By investing in infrastructure that delivers higher ethanol blends to consumers despite obstacles set forth by the oil industry and EPA, we’ve proven the blend wall is a fabrication and a myth used as an excuse to unnecessarily slash the corn ethanol portion of the RFS.”

The EPA is accepting public comments on its RFS proposal through July 11. Farmers and consumers who would like to speak out in