Patty Judge, secretary of agriculture, had sought the attorney general's opinion in response to a petition by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and a bipartisan group of citizens, including the presidents of the Iowa Farm Bureau and Iowa Corn Growers. The petition asked Judge to use her authority to include ethanol as an additive to fuel sold in Iowa. As an elected official of the state, my actions must be on firm legal ground. Grassley called Tuesday's decision a disappointment because an ethanol standard in Iowa would benefit farmers and create jobs. Ethanol is made from corn and mandating its use as a gasoline additive would increase the market for Iowa corn, likely raising prices paid to farmers.
Ethanol reduces water and air pollution, as well as our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
There are more than 200 mandated additives in Iowa gasoline, most of which are ordered by rule-making and Iowa law, Grassley said. Right now, we consumers don't have any choice about what's put in our gasoline. We have to buy whatever hazardous and harmful chemicals the oil industry mandates, unless the government steps in to protect the public. A bill to mandate ethanol in all gasoline sold in Iowa was considered by the Iowa Legislature during its last session but, despite support by an apparent majority of lawmakers, it never came to a vote. During the session, Gov. Tom Vilsack as well as a number of those who signed Grassley's petition expressed support for the ethanol mandate.