A Low Blow In The Corn Belt

Biofuel producers say Trump has turned his back on the rural Midwest

 

- Mario Parker

 

As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump spent a lot of time currying the favor of the ethanol industry, barnstorming its rural Midwest base and repeatedly expressing his support for biofuels made from corn and soybeans. He was rewarded in November: Of the 184 counties with an ethanol plant in the U.S., 95 percent voted for Trump, according to data compiled by the Renewable Fuels Association.

As president, Trump has continued to pledge that he’ll protect the Renewable Fuel Standard, the 2005 law that requires U.S. oil refineries to blend increasing amounts of ethanol and biodiesel into the nation’s fuel supply. In its 12-year history, the RFS has gained critics on both sides of the political aisle, while also pitting oil companies and refineries (which would rather not have to buy all that corn-based ethanol) against farmers and big agricultural companies. Support for RFS doesn’t split down ideological lines as much as it does down geographical ones, depending on proximity to the Midwestern Corn Belt.