ALTOONA, Iowa — Renewable fuel supporters want to make sure that when presidential candidates come to Iowa, they know how important their industry is to the state.

Activists say nearly 50,000 Iowans’ jobs are directly impacted by the renewable fuels industry. Supporters are closely watching the fight in Washington, D.C. over whether the federal government should continue to mandate a certain level of renewables in the fuel supply.

The 9th Annual Renewable Fuels Summit hosted nearly 600 people representing 25 states, according to event organizers. They are working to form an active movement to convince potential presidential candidates to pay attention to their issue and, of course, to support it.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, the 2012 Iowa Caucus winner, spoke before the crowd to express his continued support for the Renewable Fuels Standard, the RFS. Santorum said, “Having the government say, ‘look, you’ve to provide some room for these folks because they create a good product. It’s good for the environment. It creates jobs.'”

Supporters face opposition from some critics who don’t want to see the government mandate what is in the fuel supply and would rather see the marketplace dictate that. Renewable fuels backers say the government has subsidized the oil industry for more than a century now, so it’s only fair that renewables also get some support.