"Trump Seeks To Quell Ethanol Industry Worry As Pruitt Enters EPA"

"President Donald Trump on Tuesday assured ethanol industry advocates of their importance in U.S. energy strategy in an apparent bid to quell concerns over potential changes to policies that mandate the use of such renewable fuels.

The comments came as Scott Pruitt took over as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and after Trump picked Carl Icahn as a senior advisor. Both men in the past have criticized the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which requires biofuels like ethanol to be blended into gasoline.

In a letter to attendees of an ethanol conference in San Diego, Trump said his administration was working to tackle the "regulatory burden" on their industry. Though the letter offered no detail on policy plans, Trump sought to ease worry over the extent of his commitment to the sector."

Chris Prentice reports for Reuters February 21, 2017.