Farm leaders expressed their thanks for an Environmental Protection Agency issuing an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline, which is blended with 15% ethanol, to be sold during the summer driving season.
This action will provide Americans with relief at the pump from ongoing market supply issues created by Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine by increasing fuel supply and offering consumers more choices at the pump, EPP Administrator Michael Regan announced in a news release. The waiver will help protect Americans from fuel supply crises by reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, building United States energy independence, and supporting American agriculture and manufacturing. Current estimates indicate that on average, E15 is about 25 cents a gallon cheaper than E10.
The EPA has authority to prevent drivers from losing access to lower-cost and lower-emission E15, a higher ethanol blend often marketed as Unleaded 88, said the president of the National Corn Growers Association.
The National Corn Growers Association and state corn grower organizations, which have advocated for the move, praised the decision.
“We appreciate Administrator Regan’s timely action to prevent a disruption in E15 availability,” said National Corn Growers Association President Tom Haag. “EPA’s action will help address fuel supply constraints and ensure drivers continue to have access to a lower-cost fuel choice that cuts emissions.”
“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to protecting Americans from fuel supply challenges resulting from the ongoing war in Ukraine by ensuring consumers have more choices at the pump,” Regan said. “Allowing E15 sales during the summer driving season will not only help increase fuel supply, but support American farmers, strengthen U.S. energy security, and provide relief to drivers across the country.”
The Clean Air Act allows the EPA administrator, in consultation with DOE, to temporarily waive certain fuel requirements to address shortages. As a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Administrator Regan determined that extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances exist and has granted a temporary waiver to help ensure that an adequate supply of gasoline is available. As required by law, EPA and DOE evaluated t the situation and determined that granting the waiver was in the public interest.
“It’s a win for the environment and while we’re disappointed it’s not permanent it is a win for agriculture,” said U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-KS, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the EPA’s decision was appropriate. “By allowing the summer sale of E15 at gas pumps nationwide, President (Joe) Biden is supporting the creation of good-paying jobs and economic growth, particularly in rural and farm communities. At the same time, thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, USDA is continuing to make critical investments in infrastructure to expand biofuels’ availability for drivers at thousands more retailers through competitive grants we expect to announce soon. The Inflation Reduction Act also sets the course for U.S. agriculture to lead the way in helping to build a new industry that will produce low carbon aviation and marine fuel, create more manufacturing jobs, and keep America’s aviation industry at the forefront of innovation.”
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said it will help with the upcoming summer driving season.
“As the nation’s leader in ethanol production and the first state to adopt an E15 standard, Iowans have long recognized the importance of biofuels for reducing costs at the pump, building demand for our corn, creating good jobs in rural Iowa, being a cleaner choice for the environment and making America energy independent,” Naig said. “At a time when fuel prices are still too high and the fantasy of foreign-sourced EVs continues to attract far too much focus, E15 remains the lowest-cost and lowest carbon fuel option for over 96 percent of the vehicles on the road today. While I am pleased that the Administration is moving forward with this long overdue waiver, we need permanent year-round access to E15 that removes this year-to-year uncertainty.”
The Kansas Corn Grower Association praised the decision.
“This emergency waiver is important to not only the more than 100 stations in Kansas that have made the investment to offer E15 but also Kansas consumers who will keep access to a lower-cost, higher- quality fuel during peak driving months,” says Josh Roe, Kansas Corn vice president of market development and policy. “We appreciate Administer Regan’s timely action to prevent disruption in E15 availability and hope that Congress can pass the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to secure uninterrupted year-round E15 access for future years. All six Kansas senators and representatives have signed on in support of the act.”
Currently, in roughly two-thirds of the country, E15 cannot be sold from terminals starting on May 1 and at retail stations starting on June 1. EPA is providing relief by extending the 1-psi Reid Vapor Pressure waiver that currently applies to E10 gasoline to E15, which will enable E15 sales throughout the summer driving season in these areas, if necessary. This action only extends the 1-psi waiver to E15 in parts of the country where it already exists for E10. E15 can already be sold year-round in parts of the country that have a Reformulated Gasoline program.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
