The emergency fuel waiver issued today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will help American consumers save money at the pump this summer, while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions and harmful tailpipe pollution. The Renewable Fuels Association thanked both EPA and the White House for issuing the waiver, which allows uninterrupted nationwide sales of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol (E15).
The lower-cost, lower-carbon E15 blend is approved for use in more than 95 percent of vehicles on the road today, according to EPA. Drivers typically save at least 25 cents per gallon when filling up with E15.
“With gas prices on the rise again and geopolitical conflict roiling global energy markets, we applaud President Biden and EPA Administrator Michael Regan for taking decisive action to combat potential fuel shortages and keep a lid on gas prices this summer,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Allowing uninterrupted sales of E15 will help extend gasoline supplies, prevent fuel shortages, protect air quality and reduce carbon emissions. We also appreciate the efforts of USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and the many ethanol supporters in Congress who advocated for continued access to E15 this summer.”
Cooper noted that year-round E15 has been allowed every year under the Biden administration. Regan took similar emergency action in both 2022 and 2023, and EPA allowed retailers to continue selling E15 following an adverse court decision in an oil industry lawsuit in the summer of 2021.
While RFA welcomed today’s EPA announcement, Cooper was quick to point out that a permanent legislative solution allowing year-round E15 is still needed. “For the environmental and economic benefits of E15 to be fully realized, the marketplace needs long-term certainty,” he said. “It’s time for Congress to pass legislation—like the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act—that would deliver permanent year-round access for E15 and finally break the cycle of ad hoc, stop-gap emergency waivers.”
Today’s decision will also reduce summertime air pollution, as shown in RFA’s “E15 Fact Check.” And, according to EPA, “consumers can continue to use E15 without concern that its use in the summer will impact air quality.”
The emergency waiver issued today follows a months-long concerted effort by RFA and its allies, Cooper said.
- In late March, RFA and allies sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency, calling on Administrator Michael Regan to act swiftly on an emergency waiver for E15 sales.
- In March and April, RFA ran advertising in the Washington, D.C., media market expressing the importance of continued access to E15 this summer.
- In an RFA blog post on April 2, Chief Economist Scott Richman estimated that U.S. sales of the E15 fuel blend hit a record 1.11 billion gallons in 2023.
- The next day, nearly 1,000 farmers, ethanol industry workers and other supporters from across the country sent a letter to President Biden also urging immediate action on E15.
- Finally, last week, 46 members of the House and Senate separately sent letters to President Biden urging his administration to allow the lower-cost E15 fuel blend to be sold through the summer months.
In February, EPA granted a petition from eight Midwest governors to allow year-round sales of E15 in their states. However, that regulation does not go into effect until 2025.
