U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) support a newly announced plan by President Joe Biden to lift the federal ban on summertime sales of E15 gasoline to help reduce gas prices.
“Since early last year… I have been pushing this administration to lift the ban on E15 by the summer driving season,” Sen. Ernst said, “and at long last, the president has relented.”
Biden on Tuesday announced that the Environmental Protection Agency will issue an emergency waiver permitting year-round sales of E15 gasoline, which contains a 15-percent ethanol blend. The sale of E15 gas usually is prohibited from June to mid-September due to air quality concerns.
“Home-grown ethanol is a cleaner, cheaper choice for consumers, and Iowa’s biofuel producers are ready to meet the demand,” said Sen. Ernst. “This announcement is certainly welcome news for Iowans.”
Sen. Fischer said she has “long led the push” for the sale of year-round E15 precisely because it will help lower prices for American families at the gas pump.
Most recently, Sen. Fischer in July 2021 sponsored the bipartisan Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, S. 2339, with lead original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to extend the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) volatility waiver for ethanol blends above 10 percent to increase market access and continue to allow retailers to sell E15 and other higher-ethanol fuel blends year-round, according to her office.
“If President Biden is serious about driving down costs for Americans, he should allow the sale of E15 during the summer, throughout the energy crisis and beyond,” said Sen. Fischer. “Doing so would be good for families, the environment, and rural America.”
Sen. Ernst also has led several similar efforts and on March 8 sponsored the bipartisan Home Front Energy Independence Act, S. 3787, with lead original cosponsor Sen. Klobuchar to ban Russian oil and open up the use and production of biofuel, including the year-round availability of E15 gas.