Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says she is taking President Donald Trump at his word that he will uphold an agreement made with farm state lawmakers and agriculture groups to maintain the ethanol requirements in current law. Reynolds says she’ll lobby the E-P-A to change rather than ask Trump to intervene:
Reynolds says Trump is trying to satisfy both the oil industry and farmers:
Since Trump became president, the Environmental Protection Agency has given 85 oil refineries exemptions from blending ethanol into the gasoline they sell.
That’s removed 4 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol from the market, leading to ethanol plant closures and angering farmers.
On October 4th Trump committed to ensuring in coming years that any exempted ethanol would be replenished by the remaining refineries.
However, an EPA rule released last week did not include the agreed upon language to guarantee the required 15 billion gallons of ethanol each year is blended into the nation’s fuel supply.
Trump, in public comments this week, has not indicated he plans to intervene. Trump said Monday that the Renewable Fuels dispute was finished and he was ready to sign off on it.
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The former Iowa Food Group and Tyson Foods meat processing plant in Cherokee, Iowa will open again next year.
Oklahoma-based Lopez Foods bought the plant from Iowa Food Group, which closed the facility in April.
Cherokee Area Economic Development Director Bill Anderson says 40 people worked at Iowa Food Group before it closed.
The plant was idle for four years before Iowa Food Group started it up again in January.
About 400 people were working at the plant when Tyson closed it in 2014.
Lopez Foods expects to reopen the plant in early spring.
They are a key supplier for restaurants and retailers, including McDonald’s and Walmart.
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Gehlen Catholic School Drive 4 UR School with Jensen Ford is Saturday, October 26 from 9am to 3pm in the parking lot of All Saints Parish St Joseph site. Take a ten minute test drive and Ford Motor Company will donated $20.00 to Gehlen Catholic. Only one driver per household, ages 18 and over can participate, no registration is needed and wallk in are welcome.
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The Sioux City School District says it can’t comment on a settlement paid to the family of a Sibley-Ocheyedan child sexually assaulted by a teacher who was once employed by the district.
Attorneys for that child announced a $650,000 settlement was paid by four school districts who employed Kyle Ewinger.
Those districts included Sibley-Ocheyedan, Sioux City, Akron-Westfield, and Mediapolis.
Ewinger was convicted in February of sexually abusing a student at Sibley-Ocheyedan in 2015.
Sioux City School Attorney Doug Phillips says the district’s share of the settlement will be paid by EMC Insurance Companies.
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Former Iowa Lt. Governor JoAnn Zimmerman has died at age 82. Radio Iowa’s OKay Henderson looks back at Zimmerman’s career.
