Politicians Love Ethanol Despite Doubters
The Politico:
There are four views of Iowa, at least according to a local joke: corn on the left and soybeans to the right; soybeans left and corn right; corn on both sides; soybeans on both sides.
The old joke needs an update, says Bill Sells, production manager at the Hawkeye Renewables ethanol plant in Iowa Falls. Twenty-eight ethanol plants now dot the Iowa landscape, sticking out like spaceships amid the cornfields.
The refineries cast a shadow all the way to Washington. Politicians salivate over the idea of green energy, giving ethanol center stage in both Congress and campaigns.
Sells, who grew up 30 miles from Iowa Falls, says much has changed since the plant opened in 2004. Corn prices are up, jobs have multiplied and the town is seeing renewed activity in its shops and restaurants. A new hotel opened to support the influx of vendors and visitors, the second for the 5,000-person town surrounded by cornfields and cattle.
“Now the farmers have a real purpose,” says Sellers. “Business is booming.”
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