Dozens of Iowa-Based Groups and More than 91,000 People Ask Presidential Candidates to Reject Failed Biofuels Policy
Through both in-person and digital deliveries, all of the 2020 presidential candidates are hearing from more than 50 Iowa-based groups and leaders and more than 91,000 people concerned about the damage that our nation’s biofuels addiction is causing the environment.
“Unfortunately, both parties are largely blind to the catastrophic consequences of embracing biofuels,” said Rose Garr, campaign director. “At a time when our planet is already facing a climate crisis, our biofuels policies are increasing carbon emissions and destroying millions of acres of prairies, wetlands, and forests.”
The petition, which is being circulated online and on the ground in Iowa, includes more than 3,000 Iowan signatories.
“We’re seeing a groundswell of grassroots support here in Iowa — it’s clear that concerns about ethanol and biodiesel have been on people’s minds for quite a while,” said Anya Fetcher, lead organizer in Iowa City. “People have been feeling frustrated and helpless, because Big Ag often seems impossible to fight. But the goals of this campaign are tangible and attainable, with a strategy and tactics that people can understand and be a part of. That’s exciting!”
Fifty-six Iowa-based groups are also calling on the candidates to support energy and land policies that reduce biofuel crop production and shift the state to increased land conservation and clean energy generation.
The petition and coalition letter deliveries follow a series of panel discussions hosted in Davenport, Des Moines, and Iowa City last week. More than 150 Iowans gathered for the events, which focused on climate change and conservation in Iowa.
For the past three years, Mighty Earth has championed pro-environment reforms to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which mandates increasing biofuel consumption through 2022. In January, our activists in Iowa launched a new effort to educate political leaders and policymakers and explain why food-based biofuels are not a viable solution to climate change.
