Ernst Urges Biden Admin to Act on E15, Provide Certainty for Farmers, Consumers
The White House is stalling action on E15 due to “warnings” from the oil industry.
WASHINGTON – Last year, eight governors across the Midwest – led by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds – requested the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issue a permanent Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) waiver to allow their states to sell E15 year-round without restriction.
As the Biden administration sits on their request, Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Representative Brad Finstad (R-Minn.) are leading their colleagues in demanding that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) work quickly to finalize the waiver, allowing retailers enough time to prepare for 2024 summer sales.
Ernst and Finstad are joined by Senators Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ricketts (R-Neb.), Grassley (R-Iowa), Fischer (R-Neb.), Brown (D-Ohio), and Klobuchar (D-Minn.); and, Representatives Budzinski (D-Ill.), Flood (R-Neb.), Craig (D-Minn.), Miller (R-Ohio), Sorensen (D-Ill.), Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Smith (R-Neb.), Hinson (R-Iowa), Feenstra (R-Iowa), Johnson (R-S.D.), Fischbach (R-Minn.), Alford (R-Mo.), Pocan (D-Wis.), and Emmer (R-Minn.).
The lawmakers write, “We write today…concerning the swift implementation of outstanding regulatory action to remove the 1-psi volatility waiver for gasoline-ethanol blends in Midwest states…this rulemaking should have been completed in July 2022, and unfortunately, we still have no regulatory certainty for our fuel retailers, fuel blenders, or biofuel producers more than 16 months later.
“Homegrown, American-produced ethanol strengthens our national security and ensures lower vehicle emissions to achieve the Administration’s climate goals. As we approach the 2024 summer driving season, it is critical that the Biden administration work swiftly to finalize the Governors’ requests, bringing much-needed certainty to our corn growers, fuel retailers, and consumers to enjoy the clean-burning, lower cost benefits of year-round E15.”
Read the letter here.
Background:
Ernst, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, continues to be a strong advocate for homegrown, Iowa biofuel. In addition to supporting the bipartisan Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, in November 2022, Senator Ernst joined a bipartisan group of Midwest senators in an effort to expand the year-round sales of E15 nationwide.
In February 2023, Senator Ernst and the entire Iowa delegation demanded the EPA remove regulatory barriers for gasoline-ethanol blends—like E15—and implement the long-awaited request of Midwest governors, including Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
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