U.S. Court Tosses Trump-Era Rule Expanding Sales of Corn-Based Ethanol

Jul 06, 2021

A federal appeals court on Friday struck down a U.S. rule put in place under former President Donald Trump to expand sales of corn-based ethanol, drawing ire from farm and biofuel groups that vowed to work to ensure that such sales continue.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exceeded its authority by lifting summertime restrictions on the sale of a 15% ethanol fuel blend known as E15. The decision came in a lawsuit by an oil refining trade group challenging the rule.

The EPA in 2019 extended a waiver that allowed year-round sales of E15. Ethanol producers cheered that move, as it would allow expanded sales of the blend.

The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), which sued the EPA, welcomed the D.C. Circuit’s ruling.

“There is no ambiguity in statute and the previous administration’s reinterpretation overstepped the will of Congress,” AFPM President Chet Thompson said in a statement.

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.