Republicans and Democrats United in Support of Renewable Fuel

America’s Renewable Future (ARF) and DuPont (NYSE: DD) jointly released new poll findings showing that, once informed about the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and biofuels, a solid majority of caucus-goers from both political parties would be more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who supports them. Poll results indicated that 61 percent of Republicans and 76 percent of Democrats would be more likely to support a candidate who supports progress in these areas.

In fact, Iowa caucus-goers of both parties respond positively to a number of reasons to continue the RFS:

·         75 percent of Republicans and 87 percent of Democrats surveyed endorsed lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to gasoline as a good reason to continue the RFS;

·         88 percent of Republicans and 93 percent of Democrats react favorably to the strong job and wage benefits the RFS ensures for Iowa;

·         and 86 percent of Republicans and 92 percent of Democrats say the hundreds of thousands of American jobs the RFS ensures across the country are a good reason to continue the program.

Seventy-one percent of both Republicans and Democrats have positive associations with ethanol and a nearly identical percentage of both Republicans and Democrats – 84 and 88 percent respectively – say the RFS is good for Iowa.  And, once informed about the RFS and cellulosic ethanol, 79 percent of Republican and 90 percent of Democratic likely caucus-goers say the RFS is good for the nation.

The survey was conducted jointly with DuPont, which is opening a 30-million-gallon cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Nevada, Iowa, Oct. 30.

Cellulosic ethanol – renewable fuel made from crop residues rather than grain – is relatively new to market and to Iowans. However, once informed about it, strong majorities of both Republicans and Democrats support the product for offering lower prices at the pump (68 percent of Republicans and 77 percent of Democrats) and providing economic opportunity through job creation and establishing an entirely new revenue stream for local farmers (80 percent of Republicans and 83 percent of Democrats).

Methodology: In late September 2015, Selzer & Company conducted a survey of 400 Iowa voters likely to attend the Republican presidential caucus in February 2016 and 405 Iowa voters likely to attend the Democratic caucus. Interviewers contacted active voters from the Iowa voter registration list by telephone and screened for likelihood to attend one of the presidential caucuses to be held in February. After some initial general questions about energy and renewable fuels, the RFS was described with the sentence, “The Renewable Fuel Standard requires that a certain percentage of renewable fuels like ethanol be blended into the gasoline supply.” The margin of error for each group of likely caucus-goers is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

America’s Renewable Future (ARF) is an Iowa-based bipartisan non-profit working to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard in the 2016 presidential election. ARF is committed to educating caucus-goers and candidates on the benefits of biofuels through the RFS. For more information, visit the organization's website at www.americasrenewablefuture.com.

DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit www.dupont.com.