U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-SD), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) joined a bipartisan contingent of lawmakers in calling on the president to allow the year-round sale of E15 gasoline to help reduce America’s reliance on foreign energy sources.
This “no-cost, immediate step” taken by the Biden administration “could help curb rising domestic energy costs and displace banned Russian oil imports,” according to the March 9 letter the lawmakers sent to President Joe Biden.
They requested that the president utilize any existing administrative authority to permit the sale of E15 fuel over the 2022 summer driving season by extending the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) waiver from June 1 through Sept. 15, according to their letter, which was also signed by U.S. Sens. Roger Marshall (R-KS), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Dick Durbin (D-IL).
“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,” wrote the senators. “This will require tapping every accessible contribution of American energy technology.”
American biofuels, they wrote, are one such readily available energy solution that’s available for about $1.20 cheaper than gasoline per gallon, a discount they said is passed on to consumers and amplified in higher blends like E15, E30, and E85.
Additionally, higher blends of biofuels, biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel displace a greater share of imported oil each time consumers choose to use them, according to their letter.
“Preserving the option for American drivers to select E15 throughout the busy summer driving season will benefit our families and businesses while blunting a vital source of funding for Vladimir Putin’s campaign of destruction,” they wrote.
Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy, and Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, endorsed the letter.