Governor Terry Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds recently joined Senators Charles Grassley and Tom Harkin, Congressmen Tom Latham, Steve King, Dave Loebsack and Bruce Braley, and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey in sending a letter to federal leaders expressing strong opposition to the EPA’s proposal that would negatively impact the bio-economy by lowering levels in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The letter was sent to President Barack Obama, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and U.S. Department of Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack. The Iowa elected leaders also urged the federal government, including the White House Rural Council, to host a hearing in Iowa to hear directly from Midwesterners on the EPA’s proposal, which would have a harmful effect on the agriculture, agri-business and biofuels industries in the region.