Even Donald Trump Thinks He’s Spending Too Much Time on Ethanol
- President laments issue consumes more time than China, Iran
- Biofuel conflict pits oil and agriculture against each other
An ethanol facility in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Global disputes over trade and nuclear weapons have consumed plenty of President Donald Trump’s time and attention -- but a narrow, domestic clash over U.S. biofuel policy may be giving those issues competition.
Trump has held more than a half dozen meetings and helped broker at least three near-deals on U.S. ethanol and biodiesel mandates since he moved into the White House. Despite the intense Oval Office negotiations, a lasting compromise between warring oil and biofuel interests has eluded the commander-in-chief. And now his patience may be wearing thin.