Will Trump continue pander to ethanol lobby?

Fuel Fix:
Anticipation is building around President Donald Trump's visit to Iowa on Tuesday.

After months of hinting that he would lift restrictions limiting the sales of E-15 - a type of gasoline with a higher concentration of ethanol - the White House is signalling the president is going ahead.

Reuters reported Monday Trump would make the announcement in Washington Tuesday, as part of a strategy to boost Republican candidates in the Midwest ahead of the midterm elections, citing sources familiar with the president's plans.

Expanded E-15 sales pose a threat for Gulf Coast oil refineries, which have already watched U.S. gasoline demand plateau with the roll out of more efficient vehicles.

A group of 20 Republican and Democrat senators, including Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, wrote to Trump last week urging him not to lift restrictions on ethanol sales.

"We are concerned that doing so would do nothing to address the policies impacting refinery jobs, could hurt millions of consumers whose vehicles and equipment are not compatible with higher ethanol blended gasoline and risk worsening air quality," the letter read.

Under current environmental regulations, E-15 sales are banned in the summertime to limit air pollution when health impacts are highest.
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There are several reasons to oppose ethanol expansion.  The product really sucks if you use it in small engines like chainsaws, lawn mowers, and trimmers.  It also is a problem for outboard motors.  Sales of E-15 could make the problem worse.  The RIN system means sucking up cash from refineries which should be going toward changing their equipment to refine more of the light crude from shale wells which would lessen dependency on imported heavy crude.  It is now having the opposite of its intended effect on imports, and benefits on big corn and the ethanol lobby.

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