The Golden State is the only one in the nation that hasn’t yet approved E15, gasoline containing 15% renewable ethanol. By allowing the sale of E15, the state could once again demonstrate its commitment to reducing emissions, while saving drivers money at the pump.
Click here for an October 2023 letter to CARB outlining RFA’s position.
CARB’s continued failure to allow the use of E15 clearly contradicts the scope and purpose of the waiver California has historically received from the Clean Air Act’s preemption provisions. California has historically received a waiver from the Clean Air Act’s preemption clause because the state’s air pollution regulations have been “at least as protective” as federal standards. However, CARB’s current gasoline regulations are less protective of public health and welfare than the federal standards that allow for E15 consumption in all light-duty vehicles built since 2001.
A July 2024 study by economists at UC Berkeley and the U.S. Naval Academy found California drivers could expect to save 20 cents per gallon if the state allowed gas stations to sell E15 fuel – a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline approved in all 49 other states. The potential savings for California consumers could reach $2.7 billion annually, according to the study, authored by David Zilberman, PhD, a distinguished professor in the Agricultural and Resources Economics Department at UC Berkeley, and Scott Kaplan, PhD, assistant professor in the Economics Department at the United States Naval Academy.
A 2023 study from the University of California, Riverside, shows that the E15 ethanol blend provides notable emissions reductions compared to California’s regular reformulated gasoline. According to the study, emissions of total hydrocarbons, non-methane hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide all showed either marginally or statistically significant reductions for E15 compared to regular California gasoline. In addition, particulate matter and solid particle number emissions dropped substantially with E15, and E15 showed lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions savings when compared to E10.
California’s Flex Fuel Vehicle Drivers Embrace E85
The record use of lower-cost E85 in California saved the state’s drivers $99 million in 2023, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 370,000 metric tons, a new analysis from the Renewable Fuels Association shows. A record 118.5 million gallons of E85 flex fuel, containing 85 percent ethanol, were sold last year, a 14 percent increase over 2022 and nearly double the volume of 2021.
In June 2022, California took an important step toward approving the use of cleaner, lower-cost E15 by releasing the results of a multi-year study of the fuel’s emissions impacts. The results of the study, which tested 20 vehicles, show that shifting from E10 to E15 reduces emissions of most pollutants that contribute to ozone formation and, ultimately, smog. Among the study’s key conclusions, particulate matter (i.e., the “soot” or particles that contribute to smog) showed “strong, statistically significant” reductions of 16-54% for E15 compared to E10 across the fleet of 20 vehicles. Solid particle number emissions were 12% lower for E15 than E10, at a statistically significant level. Click here for details.
