Contact: Cassidy Walter
515-322-0152

JOHNSTON, IOWA – Today Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw declared Iowa biofuels are “fed up but fired up” in his ‘State of the Industry’ address at the 2022 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit.

“How many times have you heard the climate change activists say that we must act in the next decade to prevent irreversible harm?” asked Shaw. “We have low carbon, affordable biofuels that can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the vehicles on the road today. Biofuels can make a meaningful impact this decade. But all we hear from D.C. is the need for an all-electric future to save the environment.”

Noting that electric vehicles won’t comprise enough of the vehicle fleet until after the deadline that climate scientists say is too late, Shaw acknowledged that the lack of interest in biofuels from D.C. policymakers has caused frustration.

“The state of the Iowa biofuels industry in 2022 is fed up, but fired up,” said Shaw. “We are fed up at seemingly being ignored or marginalized, but we are fired up to succeed in spite of it.”

Shaw noted that IRFA would continue to work with biofuel champions to increase the role for biofuels in both D.C. and Iowa policy solutions. He noted there are opportunities to improve a proposed federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) regulation and to enact nation-leading biofuels access legislation in Iowa.

“There is a bright future ahead for biofuels,” Shaw said. “After 20 years of effort, IRFA and the biofuels industry have not reached a peak. We are not ready to slowly and gracefully decline. We are ready, willing and able to grow. Politicians in D.C. might try to dismiss or marginalize our importance. But we will continue to teach them a lesson they never quite seem to learn – it’s a mistake to ever underestimate an American farmer.”

Click here for a copy of Shaw’s full remarks.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association represents the state’s liquid renewable fuels industry and works to foster its growth. Iowa is the nation’s leader in renewable fuels production with 42 ethanol refineries capable of producing 4.5 billion gallons annually – including 34 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity – and 11 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce 410 million gallons annually. For more information, visit the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website at: www.IowaRFA.org.

###