The Le Mars facility is located at 1804 27th Street in the Southwest end of Le Mars.
Iowa and Minnesota Senators Back Ethanol Bill
Senate Agriculture Committee members Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), along with the committee’s Ranking Member, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), introduced the bipartisan Ethanol for America Act to make it easier for Americans to fuel their vehicles with homegrown E15.
The bill eliminates unnecessary barriers by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finalize rulemaking from 2021 to make the E15 fuel label clearer and more consumer oriented. It would also confirm the compatibility of E15 with existing underground fuel storage and dispensing equipment, ensuring business owners are not required to make costly and unnecessary infrastructure changes.
Midwest Economy Lagging Slightly
Iowa’s economy continues to show signs of stagnation along with the nine-state Midwestern region, according to the monthly survey of supply managers by Creighton University.
On the zero-to-100 scale, a score of 50 is considered growth neutral, the midway point between an economy growing or shrinking. Iowa’s Business Conditions Index for July fell below 44 after a score of 48 in June.
Creighton economist Ernie Goss says the Midwest as a whole faired a little better. Goss noted that the region was down below growth neutral and that’s certainly not good, but it’s only slightly below growth neutral. July’s number was 49.4, and that’s down from June’s 50.7.
According to federal data, Iowa’s manufacturing sector exported $6.2 billion dollars in goods during the first five months of this year, compared to $6.9 billion for the same period a year ago. Goss says that’s a drop of more than ten-percent.
