The Renewable Fuels Association today thanked 46 members of the House and Senate who separately sent letters to President Biden urging his administration to allow the lower-cost E15 fuel blend to be sold through the summer months. Without an emergency waiver in place soon, E15 won’t be available to drivers beginning June 1.
In the Senate, whips John Thune (R-SD) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) led an effort that included 18 other colleagues in a letter sent today. On the House side, 26 members, led by Reps. Angie Craig (D-MN), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD), also wrote the president.
“We thank these lawmakers, working across the aisle in both the House and Senate, for calling on the Biden administration to quickly take action to allow the nationwide sale of E15 through the coming summer,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “These senators and representatives understand that, with current fuel supplies lower than the last two summer driving seasons and the market pressures of ongoing geopolitical conflicts, it is imperative that consumers have access to this American-made supply of lower-cost, cleaner fuel.”
Click here for more information on the need for summertime E15.
On April 3, 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. In an RFA blog post earlier this month, Chief Economist Scott Richman estimated that U.S. sales of the E15 fuel blend hit a record 1.11 billion gallons in 2023. 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 February of this year, EPA granted a petition from eight Midwest governors to allow year-round sales of E15. However, the petition only applies to those eight states and does not go into effect until 2025, creating uncertainty about the status of E15 for the summer of 2024.
# # #
Photo caption: This image, taken by RFA staff today at a Kwik Star in Sioux Falls, S.D., shows current price savings with E15. These savings will be lost come June 1, unless the Biden administration moves fast on a summertime waiver for the lower-cost, lower-carbon blend.
