Feb. 21, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement blasting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposal to raise the national biofuel mandate to 30 percent:

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement that they are setting a bio-fuels goal of 30 percent of U.S. transportation fuels demonstrates an almost pathological commitment to expanding the least efficient fuel into our nation’s vehicles.

“Increasing ethanol in our fuel will lower vehicle mileage as it burns much less efficiently than non-corn infused gasoline.  What’s more, ethanol is destructive to vehicle engines creating other consumer vehicle costs.  Yet, someone in President Trump’s USDA thinks that creating a threshold that not even the Obama administration was willing to set is a great idea.

“America is awash in oil and natural gas, but the insidious power of major corn producers to influence policy in Congress as well as at the USDA is truly impressive.  If only they would use their power for good.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Sept. 3, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising a new trade agreement with Brazil to purchase more corn and ethanol:

“President Trump’s agriculture trade deal with Brazil to buy more corn and ethanol is a prime example of this President’s ability to offset attacks on our economy by China. Between the corn and ethanol sales to Japan and Brazil, the President is creating new markets for domestic farmers while exempting smaller oil refineries from the devastating impacts of the arbitrary renewable fuel standards. There is no better salesperson for American goods than President Trump.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Aug. 27, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement reacting favorably to the U.S.-Japan agreement in principle on trade including to purchase corn:

“A U.S. trade agreement with Japan is long overdue and comes at a critical strategic moment, demonstrating that with long-standing allies there are alternatives to China to be developed. In addition, thanks to Japan’s agreement to purchase $7 billion of U.S. agricultural products, mainly corn, the deal obviates any worries from farm states about a limited number of fuel refiners obtaining waivers from mixing ethanol into gasoline. Building the U.S. relationship with Japan is a strategic imperative and here Trump is showing that it can get done on a bilateral basis to advance U.S. interests and pave the way for a longer term deal.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Aug. 20, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging President Donald Trump stand firm on granting ethanol waivers to a limited number of refiners:

“President Trump was 100 percent right when he ordered exemptions to the ethanol mixing requirements for a few oil refineries that were threatened to be shut down due to the costs of complying with the Renewable Fuel Standards.  Now, King Corn in Iowa is raising its ugly head demanding that every oil refinery bow even if it breaks their business.  Here is the truth, we should not burn food in our automobile engines at all.  It is inefficient and bad for the engines.  What’s more, as more and more vehicles go electric, less and less corn will be needed in oil based fuel. Americans for Limited Government believes that the Renewable Fuel Standard itself should be eliminated as an unnecessary market intervention.  But if government policy is to provide an additional market for King Corn, then these subsidies should instead be directed toward feeding people both domestically and around the world. Foolishly burning food in our fuel tanks while the USDA reports that 42.7 million Americans are on food stamps is cruel.  If Iowa farmers want to exert their political clout at the first presidential caucus, one would hope that they would at least compel federal taxpayers to buy corn to feed people not automobile engines. At the same time, the 2022 fuel mandate that requires the use of other non-corn-based biofuels should be eliminated in its entirety. Let’s return America’s farmers to the noble job of providing food rather than poor fuel substitutes.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Aug. 12, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising the EPA for granting waivers to distressed oil refiners under the Renewable Fuel Standard:

“The Environmental Protection Agency is right to grant waivers to a limited number of distressed small U.S. oil refiners from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS.)  The RFS requires all refiners to blend biofuels like ethanol into gasoline or purchase credits from others that do in order to remain in business.  While these waivers might disappoint the corn lobby which would rather bankrupt small refiners through the cost of credits than give an inch in their demand for fealty to ethanol, the EPA’s waiver decision balances the mistaken federal government policy to promote burning corn in our automobile engines with the financial needs of refiners who foot the cost of adding corn to superior performing oil in making gasoline.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.

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Oct. 12, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement in opposition to a Trump administration decision to allow E15 to be sold year-round without allowing RINs credits to be attached to ethanol exports:

“Ideally, Congress and the Trump administration would get rid of the E15 mandate altogether, but an acceptable compromise might have been the one announced in May to allow RINs credits to be attached to ethanol exports to relieve the high cost of RINs on domestic non-ethanol refiners. Unfortunately, Big Corn is getting everything they want with year-round E15 and there is no compromise to help out the refiners. The EPA should reconsider its approach and go back to the May compromise that would allow RINs to be attached to ethanol exports.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1003 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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May 9, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement praising President Donald Trump for negotiating a deal on ethanol that will allow Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) to be applied towards exported ethanol:

“President Trump proved he is a deal maker once again by reaching an agreement with ethanol producers and oil refiners. While Americans for Limited Government believes that the RINs credits eliminated altogether and the ethanol subsidy is nothing more corn welfare, the solution negotiated President Trump is an elegant balance between the political interests of corn growers and the economic interests of non-ethanol refineries who have subsidized ethanol production through RINs credits.

“The decision to permit E15 to be sold year-round and allow RINs to be attached to exported ethanol is a victory. Corn farmers get to grow more corn, and oil refiners do not get hit with excessive RINs fees. The President’s plan will likely provide relief for many struggling refineries and give assurance to corn farmers their crops will be sold.

“As we saw with the Philadelphia Energy Solutions bankruptcy, high RINs costs can break a refinery. The President’s actions will ensure thousands of high paying jobs at similar refineries around the nation are safe from the long arm of government overreach. The prior system threatened to destroy parts of the refining industry and the President’s compromise strikes a balance, demonstrating his art of the deal is the real deal.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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Oct. 26, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement to lift their holds on Trump EPA nominees over potential changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard:

“Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are wrong to hold up due to corn ethanol concerns critically important Environmental Protection Agency nominees who will help accomplish President Trump’s agenda of rolling back Obama era regulations that are crushing the economy. The fact is, like it or not, the Renewable Fuel Standard requiring use of ethanol will remain in place, contrary to claims otherwise. President Trump needs his team in place in order to get the economy moving, and while we have the utmost respect for Chairman Grassley and Senator Ernst, their blocking of Trump’s nominees hardly seems to mesh with political ads featuring castrating of hogs in Washington, D.C.”

Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 100 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts.

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