The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is hosting its 15th annual Washington, DC Fly-in and Government Affairs Summit March 17-18, 2026, bringing ethanol producers, farmers, and industry stakeholders to Capitol Hill to engage directly with federal policymakers. One of the biofuels industry’s longest-running and most impactful advocacy events, the Fly-In provides a critical opportunity for grassroots voices to help shape federal energy and agriculture policy.
“With so many ethanol priorities hanging in the balance, direct engagement with Congress and the administration has never been more important,” said Brian Jennings, ACE CEO. “Both chambers will be in session, and in an election year, timing matters. We encourage ethanol supporters to join us in Washington this March to reinforce the need for timely action on E15 year-round, 45Z clean fuel production tax credit implementation, and final Renewable Fuel Standard volumes.”
Jennings attended both the National Ethanol Conference and Commodity Classic recently to meet with other ethanol industry stakeholders to discuss the situation with E15 legislation, as the Congressional Rural Council charged with getting a bill to the House missed its deadline and has yet to complete the assignment. “Now, between now and our fly-in, there could be a breakthrough,” said Jennings. “You know, Randy Feenstra, the co-chair of this in the House is very is working very hard. He and his staff are incredible, and they’re committed to getting something done. And if it were Randy Feenstra and a handful of others, I have confidence it would. But there are other people at the table that are, I think, not trying to come to a conclusion. So we’ll see. I fear we may have this issue still on our plate come mid-March.”
Jennings says he believes there is still optimism in the ethanol industry. “The industry is incredibly excited, despite the disappointment with the more recent setbacks relative to E15 year-round legislation. There’s a lot of interest and excitement and enthusiasm, frankly, around 45Z and the clean fuel production tax credit, how producers are gonna make a claim for that, what the rules are gonna be going forward. So we’ve got a lot of work to do on that front as the proposal is out for public comment, but, you know, that’ll be another big topic for our fly-in,” said Jennings.
Learn more in this preview:
Brian Jennings - ACE Fly-in preview (4:43)
Meetings will take place on Capitol Hill, with accommodations and additional programming hosted at the Hilton Washington DC Capitol Hill. For more information, contact Katie Muckenhirn at kmuckenhirn@ethanol.org, Ashley Hillmer at ahillmer@ethanol.org, or visit ethanol.org/events/fly-in.