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Ethanol supporters push back against ‘false narrative’

Ethanol supporters are pushing back against what they say is a “false narrative” regarding Senator Ted Cruz’s victory in the Iowa caucuses.

Some political pundits say Cruz’s victory is a sign that the ethanol industry may be losing its political clout. But Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, says Cruz’s showing is being misinterpreted. Shaw says their analysis shows that 83 percent of Iowans supported pro-Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) candidates Monday night, which was higher than in the 2012 Iowa caucuses.

“I was very, very excited about the progress we made, both in terms of candidates and getting them to support the RFS, as well as with the voters in upping our pro-RFS percentage of vote on caucus night,” Shaw says.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley also disagrees with those who say ethanol and the RFS took a hit with Cruz’s victory.

“I think you look at one person that made a big deal out of doing away with the RFS. He came in tops, but you’ve got to remember that other people supporting ethanol got 72 percent of the vote, if you add them all up separately,” Grassley says. “We’re only through one state, so at this point I wouldn’t draw too many conclusions about ethanol.”

Even though Cruz came out on top, Shaw feels they were successful in getting the Texas senator to soften his anti-ethanol stance.

“He pushed back the RFS phase-out he wanted. He talked about an investigation of anti-trust issues. He talked about knocking down the artificial blend wall so consumers would have a choice. And he talked about going after oil subsidies,” Shaw says.

Shaw believes that, contrary to what the pundits are saying, ethanol and the Renewable Fuels Standard actually gained ground in this year’s Iowa campaign.