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Sixteen United States Senators submitted a March 9th letter to President Biden asking that he use available administrative authority to permit the year-round sales of E15 motor fuel.
The Senators signing the joint letter include:
- John Thune (R-SD)
- Dick Durbin (D-IL)
- Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
- Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
- Jerry Moran (R-KS)
- Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
- Deb Fischer (R-NE)
- Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- M. Michael Rounds (R-SD)
- Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
- Joni Ernst (R-IA)
- Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
- Ben Sasse (R-NE)
- Tina Smith (D-MN)
- Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
- Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS)
The request asks that E15 motor fuel be permitted to be sold both in 2022 summer driving season which would extend the Reid vapor pressure waiver from June 1 through September 15.
Ethanol is commonly blended with gasoline. Such petroleum-biofuel blends are described by a letter representing the first initial of the biofuel. For example, E for ethanol. This is followed by a number that usually describes the approximate biofuel percentage of the overall blend: E10 or E15. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) defines E15 as gasoline blended with 10.5 percent to 15 percent ethanol.
The National Association of Convenience Stores, National Association of Truckstop Operators and SIGNA also asked EPA to exercise its waiver authority pursuant to Section 211 of the Clean Air Act to authorize the year-round sale of gasoline blended with up to 15 percent ethanol (i.e., “E15”).
The rationale put forth by the United States Senators and the previously referenced petroleum trade associations for the request include:
- Needed price relief at the motor fuel pump
- Enhancing United States energy security
- Improving gasoline’s emission characteristics
For example, the United States Senators state in part:
As the United States joins global partners in seeking to hold accountable and isolate the Russian Federation for its unprovoked assault on Ukraine, we must deny Russia’s economic lifeblood of energy dominance. This will require tapping every accessible contribution of American energy technology. As you know, American biofuels are one such readily available energy solution that offer consumers affordable and cleaner options at the pump. Wholesale ethanol has recently traded for approximately $1.20 cheaper than gasoline per gallon, a discount that is passed on to consumers and amplified in higher blends like E15, E30, and E85.
A copy of the United States Senators’ letter can be downloaded here and the petroleum trade associations’ letter here.
