Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he will look to Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad for advice on ethanol, a favorite fuel in farm country but under perennial attack as a boondoggle, reported the Des Moines Register. Branstad “is a tremendous guy and a friend of mine, and we’re going to talk about it,” Trump said at a news conference in North Dakota ahead of a speech on energy policy.
Trump told reporters he would meet Branstad before making any changes to ethanol policy. NBC said Trump did not directly address the ethanol mandate during his speech. The oil industry wants repeal of the requirement to mix ethanol into gasoline. Farm groups say ethanol and other renewable fuels are a cleaner-burning alternative to petroleum and create jobs at home.
During his speech at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference, Trump said, “Cheaper energy will also boost American agriculture” and said he would “pursue all forms of energy” including wind and solar power. “This includes renewable energies and the technologies of the future … The government should not pick winners and losers.”
Trump also said he would “cancel” the Paris climate-change accord, remove restrictions on energy exploration and re-open negotiations with Canada for the Keystone XL pipeline.
The Register said some lawmakers want to end the ethanol mandate and described Trump as saying broadly, “A lot of people want that to happen and we will be making a decision soon.”
North Dakota Rep. Kevin Cramer, who has provided energy advice to the Trump campaign, has recommended that the ethanol mandate be allowed to expire along with the production tax credit for wind power.
Ethanol became a factor in the Iowa caucuses when Branstad encouraged Republicans to vote for someone other than Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who supported a phase-out of the mandate. Cruz won the caucuses.
An ethanol trade group, Growth Energy, said Trump supported ethanol earlier in the campaign and his announcement that he would confer with Branstad “is great news.” The group said, “It is vital that Mr. Trump stay true to his principles on ethanol because the RFS (ethanol mandate) is our country’s most successful energy policy.”
To watch a video of Trump’s speech, click here.