The Renewable Fuels Association is applauding a bipartisan group of 22 lawmakers from both the House and Senate, who asked the White House today to swiftly finalize regulations that would allow year-round sales of lower-carbon E15 in eight Midwest states, as requested in April 2022 by the states’ governors.
In a letter to White House Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda D. Young, the lawmakers said that this rulemaking should have been completed no later than July 2022—more than 500 days ago. “Unfortunately, we still have no regulatory certainty for our fuel retailers, fuel blenders, or biofuel producers more than 16 months later,” the members wrote.
The letter was led by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) in the Senate, and Reps. Brad Finstad (R-MN) and Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) in the House. Other signers included Sens. Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Reps. Mike Flood (R-NE), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Tom Emmer (R-MN), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Mark Alford (R-MO) and Max L. Miller (R-OH).
“RFA applauds this bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Sens. Baldwin and Ernst, and Reps. Finstad and Budzinski, for standing with America’s farmers and ethanol producers,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “We thank them for pressing the administration to finalize this rule as soon as possible. We’re hopeful that their letter will help break the logjam and ensure drivers in these states are able to enjoy the benefits of lower-cost, lower-carbon E15 all year long. Waiting until the last minute to act on the governors’ request isn’t good for anyone. The marketplace needs clarity and certainty now about the status of E15 in these eight states.”
At the same time, RFA continues to call on Congress to pass the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, which would permanently remove the summertime barrier on E15 nationwide. The federal legislative solution—which is supported by ethanol producers, agriculture, the petroleum industry, fuel marketers and retailers, and other stakeholders—would eliminate the need for a regional or state-by-state approach to securing year-round E15.
“While we strongly support the action being taken by these eight Midwestern states, the optimal solution for the marketplace is a permanent legislative fix that applies nationwide,” Cooper said. “We urge Congress to expeditiously adopt the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to provide the market certainty and stability that the entire supply chain—and consumers—are looking for.”
