Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy seeks permit to boost ethanol output

Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy on June 17 sought an Iowa Department of Natural Resources air-quality construction permit to raise annual ethanol production at its Council Bluffs dry mill by more than 14%. The company’s request, filed for the facility at 10868 189th Street, comes as the plant navigates carbon-capture plans and fresh environmental scrutiny.

The Iowa DNR identified the project as Project No. 26-103 and said the public comment period ends July 4, 2026. Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC, already operates under Title V air permitting at the site, where the current operating permit number is 14-TV-014R2 and expires March 24, 2030. Iowa DNR records show the Council Bluffs plant has held Title V air permitting since May 27, 2009, and the site is classified as fuel ethanol manufacturing.

SIRE markets itself as a farmer-owned fuel producer focused on sustainability, and the company says upgrades at the plant have placed its energy efficiency in the top 15% of similar plants. That positioning has been central to the company’s expansion pitch as it seeks to keep the Council Bluffs facility competitive in a market where output, emissions controls and carbon management infrastructure are increasingly linked.

The plant’s growth plans have also been tied to carbon-capture and pipeline development. In May 2025, SIRE manager Mike Jerke said restrictions on the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline in Iowa would be a "death blow" to the plant’s expansion plans. That pressure has kept the project under public scrutiny in southwest Iowa, where a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline tied to the plant remained in the Iowa Utilities Commission permit process.

The permit request landed after the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission in February 2026 referred an alleged water pollution case involving Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy to the Iowa Attorney General’s office. Together, the permit filing, the pipeline fight and the water case have turned the Council Bluffs plant into a test case for how ethanol producers balance higher output with air, water and community oversight.