The Renewable Fuels Association today applauded members of the Senate and U.S. House for introducing the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to make permanent the year-round availability of lower-cost, lower-carbon E15 fuel nationwide. RFA specifically thanks Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Angie Craig (D-MN) for leading introduction of the bills.
“This bipartisan legislation would finally bring nationwide consistency and stability to the marketplace and eliminate the need for last-minute emergency waivers,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “With the summer driving season just around the corner, we urge lawmakers to swiftly adopt this bill and deliver a win for American families seeking cleaner, lower-cost fuel options. Time is of the essence. Ethanol producers, oil refiners, fuel retailers, equipment manufacturers, farmers, and consumers have all rallied behind this commonsense approach. We thank Sens. Fischer and Duckworth and Reps. Angie Craig and Adrian Smith for their continued leadership on this important issue. RFA commends them, and their colleagues who are also sponsoring this legislation, for continuing to fight for fair market access for our nation’s farmers and ethanol producers.”
The Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act would harmonize fuel volatility regulations for ethanol-blended fuels across the country, allowing for the year-round sale of E15 in conventional gasoline markets. It also would supersede a regulation allowing eight Midwest states to offer year-round E15 starting in 2025, as that regional approach would no longer be necessary with a federal fix in place.
Additional cosponsors for the new legislation include Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Leader John Thune (R-SD), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Mike Rounds (R-SD).
On the House side, additional cosponsors are Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Sharice Davids (D- KS), Mike Flood (R-NE), Mike Bost (R-IL), Max Miller (R-OH), Mary Miller (R-IL), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Ron Estes (R-KS), Darin LaHood (R- IL), Blake Moore (R-UT), Derrick Van Orden (R- WI), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Mark Alford (R-MO), Dave Taylor (R-OH), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Don Bacon (R-NE), Derek Schmidt (R-KS), Michael Guest (R-MS), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI), and Don Davis (D-NC).
Since 2023, RFA and the American Petroleum Institute have been working with a broad coalition of energy and agriculture organizations to encourage Congress to quickly adopt legislation to permanently resolve inconsistent fuel volatility regulations, and legislation was filed in both houses in the last Congress by a large, bipartisan number of cosponsors.
RFA estimates that nearly 97 percent of registered vehicles on the road today are legally approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to use E15, and the vast majority also carry the manufacturer’s endorsement to use E15. Over 3,700 fuel stations currently carry the blend.
