Congressman Sorensen Fights for Corn Growers and Lower Gas Prices with the Sale of Year-Round E-15

WASHINGTON, DC – This week, Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) introduced an amendment to the farm bill that would permit the year-round, nationwide sale of E-15. This change in policy would expand access to markets for corn farmers, increase demand by over 2 billion bushels per year, and add a low-carbon, affordable fuel option at the gas pump.

“We need certainty for farmers and lower prices at the gas pump. We had an opportunity to do both of those things by allowing the year-round sale of E-15 nationwide to be included in the farm bill. My Republican colleagues know that this change is needed, but instead of standing up to Big Oil they voted to block E15 from being considered—choosing once again to pass up an opportunity to include this policy in legislation. Instead they told our farmers that this policy was irrelevant to the farm bill. Biofuel feedstocks are relevant to agriculture and expanding domestic markets for our farmers is common sense. I stand ready to work with my Senate colleagues to finally get this across the finish line,” said Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17). 

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AGRI-PULSE: House Ag Democrats blocked from advancing year-round E15 by Lydia Johnson

House Ag Committee Democrats sought to use a farm bill to advance a provision authorizing year-round use of E15, but the panel's Republicans stuck together to uphold a point of order against the biofuel amendment.

House Ag Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson warned at the outset of the committee debate Tuesday that the E15 issue wasn't germane to the bill because it was under the jurisdiction of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The committee ultimately voted along party lines 25-21 Wednesday to block the amendment by Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., from being considered.

“The President's economic policies are devastating markets for producers in my district with grain bins that sit well over capacity,” Sorensen said, with an 'E15 now' button pinned to his suit jacket. “Nationally, corn growers are facing their fourth straight year of negative profitability, including an average loss of $125 per acre for the current crop marketing year alone.”

Sorensen, also referencing that the conflict in the Middle East could drive up energy prices, said allowing sales of the higher ethanol blend fuel would provide consumers with a more affordable, low carbon fuel option at the pump. For farmers, the provision would increase domestic corn demand by more than 2 billion bushels annually.

Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., a former House Ag Committee chairman, called a point of order against the Sorensen amendment.

The Energy and Commerce Committee “has a death grip on it,” Thompson said of the E15 issue.

Year-round E15 “needs to get done. Fully supportive of that and happy to work with you on that, but we just have to go in a manner when we can be successful,” Thompson said.

“I also think the time’s right for it. I know there’s been resistance in the past, but I just feel like things are lining up behind it,” the Pennsylvania Republican went on. “It’s good for everybody. It’s good for the petroleum industry. It’s good for their product.”

Frustration is boiling over from Midwest lawmakers and agriculture groups who have been pushing for the E15 provision, which has been close to the finish line several times.

The recently formed Rural Domestic Energy Council – a last-ditch effort to bring together Republican lawmakers to strike a deal with oil refiners to push the provision forward after it was left out of the government spending package in January – originally had a goal of submitting a legislative proposal and considering legislation in the House by the end of February.

That deadline has passed with no update of when or how a provision allowing year-round sales of E15 could reach the House floor for a vote.  

“They shut us out of the process,” said Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., a staunch biofuel advocate. “I mean, we [Democrats] just hear rumors of how the conversations are going but from what I've heard, not anything positive and they've already blown past their self employed deadline.”

“It's another example among a long list of examples that my colleagues are working for to pull the rug out from under family farmers,” the committee's top Democrat, Angie Craig, D-Minn., said in reference to a cartoon of Lucy pulling a football, labeled E15, away from Charlie Brown just as he is about to kick it.

"I am tired of giving our power away. I think we should raise some hell here today and say 'Let's pass year-round E15. Let's put it in the skinny farm bill," Craig said, raising her voice to the committee.

When asked about the amendment on the sidelines of the markup, Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., a member of the E15 Rural Domestic Energy Council, told Agri-Pulse that despite the importance of the provision, it’s important to respect the jurisdiction of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

“Clearly, E15 is great. But I mean, that's not jurisdictional to the Ag Committee,” Johnson said. “So on one hand we can say ‘Oh my gosh. Why are we letting jurisdiction get in the way of, you know, good policy.’ On the other hand, it shows how political that move is by Angie Craig. She knows that the rules of the House don't allow the Ag Committee to take up that amendment.”  

“If she knows it's against the rules and she offers it anyway, what would be the purpose of that amendment?,” the South Dakota Republican went on. “If it's an attempt to bring attention to the power of E15, then I think that's noble. If it is instead an attempt to try to politicize E15, what a terrible thing to do to what has normally been a strong bipartisan priority." Johnson, who’s running for governor of his state, said Craig did not consult him on the amendment.

A spokesperson for Craig confirmed that while she supported the amendment, she did not consult Johnson because she did not introduce it. “I think it is a pretty clear indication of the fact that rather than trying for good policy, she's playing politics,” Johnson added.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told Agri-Pulse Monday the upper chamber's farm bill will likely align closely with the House GOP version of the farm bill, but could also feature language to authorize year-round sales of E15. Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., said the committee plans to mark up a farm bill in the coming months.

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