**ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, MAY 6** A truck leaves the Horizon Ethanol plant after unloading corn, Wednesday, March 7, 2007, in Jewell, Iowa. Many in Jewell, a small town of 1,200 an hour’s drive north of Des Moines, are optimistic about the effects the plant’s $300,000 a year will have on the town. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Like the rest of the Trump administration, our new EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, is already off to a roaring start. Last week, he announced the EPA’s newest initiative – “Powering the Great American Comeback.” The five pillars of this plan outline the administration’s intent over the first 100 days to restore American energy dominance, bolster our own domestic production, and reduce our reliance on foreign energy resources.

Previously, the Biden administration caved to Green New Deal radicals, refusing to drill for oil and stopping the export of liquefied natural gas, and instead opting to make the United States heavily reliant on foreign energy. On the day of his inauguration – January 20th – President Trump immediately took action to unleash the massive potential of American energy production. The executive order signed by President Trump encourages new energy exploration, lifts many burdensome regulations, and even rolls back the electric-vehicle mandate that I have fought so hard against.

My Republican colleagues and I are excited to get even more work done with President Trump and Administrator Zeldin to reduce energy costs, take steps towards total energy independence, and protect our farm producers. We must also use homegrown Iowa biofuels to secure American energy dominance. To that end, I recently joined my fellow Ways and Means colleague, Rep. Adrain Smith of Nebraska, in sending a letter to Administrator Zeldin asking that the EPA support year-round access to E-15 nationwide, establish fair Renewable Volume Obligations for biofuels, and protect and strengthen the Renewable Fuel Standard.

If E-15 sales are made permanent year-round and nationwide, consumers would save almost $21 billion at the pump. It would also return nearly $40 billion back into the wallets of American families. In 2023, the biofuel industry sustained over 394,000 American jobs and contributed $54 billion to our GDP – which is 28% of total U.S. farming GDP. It is estimated that year-round, nationwide sales of E-15 would generate $66.3 billion for our GDP. The economic upside of homegrown fuels is massive.

For Iowa’s farmers and our rural communities that rely on the agricultural economy, year-round E-15 is a no-brainer. According to the Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa produces the most ethanol in the nation – nearly 30% of total ethanol production. 62% of Iowa’s corn is dedicated to the production of domestic energy. 1.6 billion bushels of Iowa corn powers vehicles across the country, and the potential for growth is limitless. Biofuels are great for our farmers, producers, and rural main streets.

American biofuels also provide a much-needed alternative to foreign sources of energy. Grown right in our backyard by our hard working farmers, American ethanol offers a reliable source of fuel in the face of threats from abroad, particularly from China. Representing the largest biofuel producing district in the country, I will always advocate for homegrown Iowa biofuels and continue to work with President Trump to support our farmers and producers.

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Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, represents Iowa’s Fourth District in the U.S. House.