Lawmakers say they are ready to tackle important issues they face, including E-15 and power transmission

EPA Secretary nominee Lee Zeldin has been making his rounds before Senate panels in recent days. He has taken questions over E-15 and if year-round sales could be a reality under his charge.

“As far as establishing certainty, hopefully, this is something that Congress is able to resolve. To the extent that you’re relying on the EPA to establish that certainty, I look forward to doing my part.”

Doug Burgum was also in the hot seat recently. The former North Dakota Governor is Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, and he says he is focused on rural energy but says it is the last mile that is the problem.

“I think that this is one of the challenges of our time, and it’s one of the challenges that we need to undertake, is whether it’s a transmission line, a pipeline, whatever it happens to be trying to get built, it just takes too long in our country. If we don’t have the one thing to be able to generate that electricity, but if we don’t have the ability to transmit it to the places where it’s needed, that’s going to be a problem.”

Burgum also said the U.S. is currently in a precarious situation with energy. He calls it an energy crisis and says there needs to be a balance between demand for renewable energy and meeting actual demand.

Related Stories
The USDA is working with 14 different states, including Georgia, to develop and implement block grants to address the unique disaster recovery needs for each state.
“Those could’ve easily been our beans going over there. It goes to show that if that opportunity is there, China would be willing to buy.”
Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn joined us Monday to share highlights from Secretary Brooke Rollins’ visit and her perspective on USDA’s new initiatives.
RFD-TV Farm Legal and Taxation expert, Roger McEowen, with the Washburn School of Law, joined us Monday to break down the changes and explain what producers should know.
North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) President Mark Watne joined us Monday to share his perspective on the America First Trade Promotion Program and potential implications for producers.
Duane Simpson, CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC), joined us in Monday’s Market Day Report to share his perspective on the USDA’s plan and potential impact on producers.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

The U.S. has a bountiful corn supply, but markets are waiting for the January WASDE Report, which will include updated yield estimates.
Rising federal debt is increasing pressure on Washington to limit spending, which could tighten future funding and delivery for agricultural programs.
“I’m not sure where this bridge goes,” trader Brady Huck with Advanced Trading told RFD-TV News earlier this week.
CoBank’s 2026 Year Ahead Report cites global grain oversupply, easing inflation, rate cuts, and major data center growth that could reshape rural America.
Plan for sharp, short-term volatility after unexpected outages; permanent closures rarely trigger major price spread disruptions.