Jeff Broin: E15 year-round will drive South Dakota’s ag economy

Jeff Broin is founder and CEO of POET.

South Dakota farmers and South Dakota’s economy have been facing major challenges. Farm bankruptcies are up. Commodity prices are down. Record rains have ravaged fields and delayed planting. It seems the deck is stacked against agriculture, South Dakota’s largest industry.

But there is hope.

On May 31, President Trump’s directive for year-round E15 was finalized by the EPA. This is a historic event for rural America. Year-round E15 opens markets in the coming years for 7 billion gallons of new biofuel production and 2 billion bushels of new corn demand each year. This is equivalent to doubling U.S. corn exports, which have been basically flat for more than 30 years.

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Not only will this help drive the economy of South Dakota back to prosperity in coming years, it will provide cleaner, higher octane, lower priced fuels for consumers nationwide. More biofuels in gasoline will also play a role in reducing global climate change and cleaning up toxic tailpipe emissions. It’s recently been proven that people in our largest cities are dying at least one year sooner due to air pollution, with a significant percentage coming from vehicle emissions.

Make no mistake – our friends in the big city and people across the planet need agriculture. Decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels and fossil-based products by moving to biofuels and bioproducts is the only way to significantly reduce toxic air pollution and reverse the effects of climate change.

It’s time for South Dakota and our farmers to take our seat at the table. We hold the keys to improving the world’s environment, driving our nation’s economy, and bettering the health of current and future generations.

On behalf of POET and our 2,000 team members and the 30,000 farmers that deliver corn to our bioprocessing plants, I want to personally thank President Trump for his commitment to rural America and for making year-round E15 a reality. This action will play a significant role in reversing the negative trends in agriculture, protecting rural economies, and keeping South Dakota prosperous.

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