Farm country pressures Congress to pass E15 bill

DES MOINES — Congress has missed a key Feb. 25 deadline to bring forward legislation allowing year-round sales of E15 gasoline, deepening frustration across farm country and triggering a new wave of political pressure from agriculture advocates.

The missed deadline follows an earlier Feb. 15 target, also missed, for drafting the legislation. Lawmakers had charged the new d Rural Domestic Energy Council with producing a proposal and advancing it for a House vote, but divisions — particularly opposition from some small and mid-sized oil refiners — have stalled progress.

The failure to act also stands in contrast to recent assurances from President Donald Trump, who told supporters at a January rally in Iowa that congressional leadership was close to delivering a deal.

“They’re working hard. They’re very close to getting it done,” Trump said, referring to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “John will be sending me a bill very shortly supporting year-round E15 to my desk very quickly, and I will sign it.”

Those comments have heightened expectations among farmers and ethanol advocates, making Congress’ inability to meet its own timeline more politically significant.

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Billboard campaign targets lawmakers

As the deadlines slipped, Rural Voices USA launched a major advertising push aimed at lawmakers in key agricultural states.

Digital billboards tied to the group’s “Stop the Stall” campaign are now live across Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin, accompanied by a six-figure digital advertising effort targeting 10 congressional districts. Billboard locations include Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Davenport.

The campaign is designed to pressure Republican lawmakers who have publicly supported E15 expansion but have not yet secured movement from congressional leadership.

“As our billboards say, it’s time to stop the stall,” Chris Gibbs, board chairman of Rural Voices USA, said in a statement. “Farmers have been patient. They've watched Congress punt on E15 again and again … and now we need to see real urgency, not more delays.”

The billboard and digital ads are scheduled to run through March 12.

Mounting frustration in farm country

The failure to advance E15 legislation comes at a time of worsening economic conditions for farmers. USDA projections show farm income declining by $4 billion in 2026, with government payments expected to make up nearly one-third of total farm income.

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Agricultural groups argue that year-round E15 sales would provide immediate relief by boosting corn demand — potentially by more than 2 billion bushels annually.

“No more excuses on E15,” the Iowa Corn Growers Association wrote on social media, tagging Iowa’s U.S. House members.

“Iowa’s corn growers are frustrated and disappointed,” Iowa Corn Growers Association President Mark Mueller said last month, criticizing Congress for “kicking the can down the road” despite years of negotiations and an existing bipartisan framework.

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Political pressure builds among Iowa federal lawmakers

All four of Iowa’s Republican House members — Reps. Randy Feenstra, Zach Nunn, Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson — have expressed support for year-round E15 sales, even as the issue stalled.

Nunn warned on the House floor that delays threaten farmers’ ability to plan for the coming growing season, calling it “a direct threat” to agricultural stability.

Miller-Meeks said farmers’ “legacies are at risk” due to repeated delays, while Hinson called the failure to deliver E15 “unacceptable.”

Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said frustration over Congress’ failure to meet the E15 deadline is widespread across rural Iowa, with the issue dominating his recent conversations with constituents.

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“It’s something that has cropped up in most of my county meetings … and it’s something that should have happened today,” Grassley told reporters Wednesday. “We’re hearing from farmers on this issue that they’re frustrated it’s not happening.”

Grassley said lawmakers are actively working behind the scenes to break the impasse, including recent conversations between Senate leaders and House Speaker Mike Johnson on how to move the policy forward.

“There’s been recent conversation … of making sure this happens,” he said, adding that President Trump’s push for passage has added urgency. “It seems to me it has to happen.”

However, procedural hurdles remain. Grassley noted that a stand-alone bill may not be viable, forcing lawmakers to consider attaching E15 language to another piece of legislation.

“Now we’re told that it can’t happen as a separate bill. So where do you get it stuck in a bill?” he said.

He emphasized the economic stakes for agriculture, pointing to estimates that year-round E15 could generate $14 billion in additional farm income.

Grassley also pushed back on recent opposition from small refinery groups, noting that temporary year-round E15 access has been granted in recent years without significant pushback.

“We’ve had E15 year-round nationwide by presidential order under both (former president Joe) Biden and both Trump's administration for six or seven years, I never heard from the small refineries,” he said, suggesting some opposition may be newly motivated rather than rooted in financial hardship.

Despite the missed deadline, Grassley said efforts are ongoing.

“We’re fighting very hard to get this done,” he said.

Competing industry campaign

The push for E15 expansion is being countered by the Keep Fuel Affordable Coalition, which launched a television ad campaign in Washington, D.C., warning that expanding E15 without reforms to the Renewable Fuel Standard could harm small refineries.

The group argues that compliance costs tied to Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) disproportionately impact independent refiners and could lead to plant closures, fuel supply disruptions and higher prices. It argues small and independent refineries operate without the blending infrastructure and integration advantages of major oil companies.

“Americans want lower gas prices and a stronger economy. However, pushing E15 expansion without fixing structural flaws in the Renewable Fuel Standard risks putting small and independent refineries out of business — which ultimately hurts workers and consumers,” a coalition spokesperson said.

How Congress got here

Year-round E15 legislation was left out of a House funding bill in January, prompting lawmakers to create the Rural Domestic Energy Council as a workaround. The council — co-chaired by Iowa Rep. Feenstra — was asked to develop a proposal by Feb. 15, with Congress advancing it by February 25.

That process has now missed both deadlines.

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Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig had urged Congress to act quickly, noting that E15 sales in Iowa rose 44 percent from 2023 to 2024 and arguing that nationwide access would lower fuel costs and strengthen rural economies.

“It’s time for Congress to make year-round E15 available nationwide,” Naig said.

What’s at stake

Supporters say nationwide E15 could:

But with no bill on the House floor and growing political divisions, the timeline for action remains uncertain.

For now, farmers — and lawmakers — are facing mounting pressure as planting season approaches.

“Spring planting is around the corner, farm income is falling, and rural communities need Congress to deliver,” Gibbs, with Rural Voices USA, said. “Farmers are watching, and they won't forget."

Maya Marchel Hoff of the Lee-Gazette Des Moines Bureau contributed to this report.

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com