Cong. Abby Finkenauer
Iowa Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer is co-sponsoring a bill that would establish $500 million worth of federal grants to boost use of ethanol and biodiesel.
The grants could be used to upgrade fueling stations, pipelines or fuel terminals — so a higher percentage of ethanol and biodiesel could be blended into gasoline and diesel. The proposal comes after the Trump Administration announced the latest round of federal aid for the ag industry will not include payments to ethanol producers.
“This is really disappointing to see that the secretary of agriculture decided again to leave out biofuels when it comes to aid or having their backs,” Finkenauer says. The Clean Fuels Deployment Act is cosponsored by a bipartisan group that includes Finkenauer, a Democrat from Dubuque, and House members from Kansas, Nebraska and Illinois.
The CEO of Growth Energy, a trade association for the biofuels industry, says the bill is a “road map” that will help expand consumer access to higher blends of biofuels.