A number of biodiesel plants remain idled in Iowa and the executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says the situation hasn’t improved.
“We probably have about half of our plants offline,” Monte Shaw said.
Shaw tells Brownfield the shutdowns have been ongoing for several months. “I’ve talked to biodiesel plants that have started to lay off workers. It’s heartbreaking. They don’t want to do it. These are good employees and they’ve done nothing wrong. But (the plants) are sitting there not running and there’s no cash flow, no profits, and no ability to pay workers.”
He says the Trump administration has an opportunity to bring stability back to biodiesel producers. “More clarity around 45Z, a signal that the blending levels are going to go up in the future under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Any of those things can help. That information could come out this year.”
