As the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025 makes its way through Congress, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is ramping up efforts to ensure policymakers and the public understand what’s at stake for farmers, fuel retailers, and consumers.
One of the voices in that effort has been NCGA CEO Neil Caskey, who recently wrote a Letter to the Editor published by The Wall Street Journal. In it, Caskey defends fuel blend requirements and the need for access to higher ethanol blends.
This follows his earlier op-ed in Real Clear Policy, where Caskey emphasized how year-round access to 15% ethanol blends (E15) supports energy independence, reduces fuel costs, and sustains the livelihood of corn farmers facing a deepening economic crisis.
The Kentucky Corn Growers Association, along with NCGA, is making sure lawmakers hear the message on year-round E15. The recent media activity is just a sampling of all the work that is underway. Until the legislation passes, advocacy will continue.
Below is the Letter to the Editor that was submitted and published in The Wall Street Journal:
Dear Editor:
The recent editorial on ethanol blending requirements, “Wrong Way to Help Farmers” (opinion, Sept. 5), omitted some key information that would have helped readers better understand the value of the U.S. biofuel industry.
Given the large domestic production of ethanol and the fact that it helps bolster U.S. energy security, it’s hard to understand why the Wall Street Journal would dedicate space to defending foreign biofuel suppliers, some of which have actively worked to undermine U.S. farmers and suppliers.
Far from increasing fuel costs for consumers, as the editorial stated, domestically produced ethanol saves drivers money at the gas pump while bolstering America’s rural economies that benefit from higher corn sales. In fact, if Congress passed the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025, which allows for year-round nationwide use of 15% ethanol fuel blends, compatible with all engines manufactured after 2001, it is estimated that it would reduce consumer spending on motor fuel by $20.6 billion annually.
The corn farming economy is in crisis, threatening the livelihood of farmers and their communities across the country, yet biofuel critics continue to complain about a blending standard that has been in place for 20 years.
We would encourage the Wall Street Journal to focus its editorials on free-market solutions that support both U.S. consumers and American family farms, rather than defending billion-dollar oil companies and foreign importers.
NEIL CASKEY
Chesterfield, Mo.
Caskey is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Corn Growers Association.