Senator Lee Unleashes Fury on Corn Ethanol Subsidies

Senator Mike Lee launched a scathing attack on corn ethanol over the weekend, taking to his X account to denounce federal 'ethanol mandates' as a form of economic tyranny.

The Utah Republican posted nine messages calling for President Trump to 'end the tyranny of the Cornography Caucus,' and accusing Big Corn of profiting enormously from government subsidies that require drivers to use corn-based fuel.

Lee, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has long been a vocal opponent of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and year-round E15. His latest salvo comes as the Trump administration is poised to approve small refinery exemptions for more than 1.8 billion RINs, which could undercut record-high 2026 RFS volumes finalized in March.

Ag groups and biofuel producers have pushed back against the proposed waivers, arguing that they would hurt the industry and potentially require an offset by adding at least 500 million RINS to the 2027 quotas.