Farm Bill Amendment Pits Big Refiners Against Smaller Operations

BusinessEnergyFarm Bill Amendment Pits Big Refiners Against Smaller OperationsByDavid Blackmon,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. David Blackmon is a Texas-based public policy analyst/consultant.Follow AuthorApr 29, 2026, 08:07am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Casselton, North Dakota, The Tharaldson Ethanol plant, the seventh-largest such plant in the United States sits adjacent to rolling corn fields. It can produce 153 million gallons of ethanol from corn annually. (Photo by: Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesControversies abound related to the big farm bill making its way through congress this week. Much of the reporting in recent days has centered on a bipartisan effort in the House of Representatives to repeal the liability shield for producers of pesticides. But another, energy-related controversy has risen in recent days, this one centered on an attempt to mandate year-round sales of E15 fuels which has created a divide in the nation’s refining industry.Amending The Farm Bill To Force E15 Sales Year-RoundThe amendment (Amendment 289) offered by Minnesota Republican Michelle Fischbach, has the support of a broad coalition including ethanol refiners, big farm interests like John Deere and the National Farmer’s Union, along with the American Petroleum Institute (API) whose membership includes most of the big refining companies. It’s a seemingly odd set of bedfellows to be coordinating efforts on a farm bill until you understand this bill has everything to do with fuel and refining.WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 10: U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) speaks during a House Rules Committee meeting on February 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. Fischbach is the lead sponsor of Amendment 289 to the 2026 Farm Bill. The amendment would mandate the year-round manufacture and sa...