Iowa Lawmaker Pushes for Ethanol Blend in Gasoline

By Dan Haugen, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa

Sep. 27–FAIRBANK — Against the backdrop of an ethanol plant under construction, U.S. Rep. Jim Nussle said he would push for a mandatory 10 percent ethanol blend for gasoline sold in the state.

“Iowa is poised to become an energy state,” Nussle said, unveiling an energy agenda calling for 20 percent of the state’s consumption by 2020 to come from renewable sources such as ethanol, biodiesel, wind or biomass.

About 70 percent of gasoline sold in Iowa already is blended with ethanol.

“That’s good, but it’s not good enough,” said Nussle, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor.

The press conference was staged at the future site of Hawkeye Renewables’ $110 million ethanol plant east of Fairbank. A “Nussle for Governor” banner hung on a construction lift between towering gray tanks already erected.

Nussle said using Iowa’s natural resources to produce renewable fuels would boost the state’s economy and reduce reliance on foreign oil.

Besides the ethanol blend requirement, Nussle said the state should encourage more gas stations to sell E85 — an 85 percent ethanol blend that burns cleaner and hotter than regular gasoline but a formulation that requires engine modifications.

He said the state should continue promoting tax credits and incentives for wind and biomass development, and that the governor must be an renewable energy ambassador to consumers, producers and investors.

In a prepared statement, Bob Vander Plaats, who is also vying for the Republican nomination for governor, dismissed the Nussle’s remarks as “predictable.”

“With the current energy crisis in our country, we would all agree that increasing the use of renewable energy is beneficial to Iowa and our country,” Vander Plaats said.

Vander Plaats said he will release a plan later this year that would more aggressively promote renewable energy and show measurable results within four years.

Nussle does not address conservation in his policy agenda. High prices already give consumers enough incentive to conserve, he said.

Bob Mulqueen, policy analyst for the Iowa Environmental Council, said Nussle’s proposals coincide with the council’s recent efforts to expand renewable energy use in the state.

“Most of it sounds attractive to us,” Mulqueen said. “I think the only thing in our view that needs more emphasis is energy conservation. A lot of people in public life need to emphasize conservation as well as initiatives to create (energy.)”

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