The Ethanol Effect on Iowa Politics
How will the fight over corn ethanol affect the Republican vote in Iowa?
By David Biello
This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Ethanol is big business for Iowa's big corn farmers. So when Texas Senator Ted Cruz stood by his proposal to phase out the federal program that supports the fuel brewed from corn kernels, it was big news. Even in the midst of a battle for votes prior to the Iowa caucuses on February 1, Cruz has not backed down--unlike some of his Republican peers whose views have shifted over time.
As part of work on a forthcoming documentary on ethanol produced with the award-winning team at Detroit Public Television, I traveled to Iowa to cover this story along with many others from the Corn Belt. The result will air on the PBS NewsHour on January 28. It's a small taste of "The Ethanol Effect."
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