Rural Voices USA
Rural Voices USA today announced a continuation of its six-figure “Stop the Stall” advertising campaign targeting congressional districts across Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, as gas prices approach $4 a gallon nationwide and Congress departs for a two-week recess without passing year-round E15 legislation.
This new six-figure phase of the campaign extends the digital advertising and billboard presence that launched in February, when Rural Voices USA ran a multi-channel pressure campaign across 10 congressional districts in five states. Since that campaign launched, the farm economy has continued to deteriorate, gas prices have surged more than a dollar in a single month, and Congress has still failed to deliver a permanent E15 solution.
“Gas prices have doubled in a month. Farmers are going bankrupt at a rate we haven’t seen in years. And Congress left town,” said Chris Gibbs, Board Chairman of Rural Voices USA. “The fact that the administration had to issue yet another emergency waiver proves the point. E15 works. It lowers prices for consumers and creates markets for farmers. Congress needs to stop protecting a handful of oil refiners and pass year-round E15.”
New USDA data analyzed by POLITICO shows that the United States lost nearly 150,000 farms over the past five years, with small and family operations hit hardest. Chapter 12 farm bankruptcy filings, the pathway designed specifically for family farmers, increased 46 percent in 2025 alone. States targeted by the Rural Voices USA campaign are among those most affected, with Wisconsin seeing a 700 percent increase in farm bankruptcies last year.
Year-round, nationwide E15 would support over 128,000 new jobs, add $25.8 billion to the country’s GDP, and save American consumers $20.6 billion in fuel costs. Ethanol currently displaces approximately 630 million barrels of imported crude oil, reducing America’s dependence on foreign energy.
To learn more, visit ruralvoices.us/stopthestall.
Rural Voices USA
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