Senators Push Bipartisan Bill to Make Ethanol Blends Available Year-Round

July 15, 2021 by Dan McCue
Senators Push Bipartisan Bill to Make Ethanol Blends Available Year-Round
A biofuel plant in Mason City, Iowa. (Photo: Growth Energy via Instagram)

WASHINGTON – In the wake of a federal appeals court ruling striking restrictions on the summertime sale of ethanol blended fuel, a bipartisan trio of senators is seeking to ensure that low-carbon, 15% ethanol fuel blends are available for purchase in all U.S. markets, year-round.

The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act was introduced Wednesday by Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.

It would permanently extend the 1.0 psi summertime Reid vapor pressure waiver to ethanol blends beyond E10, thus eliminating any seasonal restrictions on sales. 

While the “Reid vapor pressure waiver” is a mouthful of jargon, what it relates to is the speed at which liquid fuel evaporates.

Since the late 1980s, the Environmental Protection Agency has regulated the “vapor pressure” of gasoline sold at retail stations during the summer ozone season — running roughly from June 1 to Sept. 15 — to reduce evaporative emissions that are harmful to the ozone.

In June 2019, the Trump Administration’s EPA revised its interpretation of a provision of the Clean Air Act that grants a 1.0 psi summertime waiver of Reid vapor pressure requirements. 

In doing so, it made biofuel blends like E15 available to motorists year-round.  

However, on July 2, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the 2019 rule, holding the phrase “contains 10%” in the relevant statutory text did not extend the 1.0 psi RVP waiver from E10 to E15.

The decision has the potential to limit the amount of E15 in conventional fuel areas during the summer, affecting 85% of current E15 fuel retailers across the country. 

The bipartisan bill would fix the language and restore motorists’ ability to buy the cleaner fuel whenever they want to.

“We’re grateful our congressional champions acted swiftly on behalf of farmers, biofuel producers, and drivers nationwide to introduce the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy, a biofuel industry trade association.

“The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act would make permanent the RVP waiver for summertime use of higher blends of biofuels, ensuring consumers have year-round access to a lower-carbon, lower-emission renewable fuel that saves money at the pump,” Skor said.

 E15 is a 15% ethanol blended fuel, known to many consumers as Unleaded/Regular 88 (UNL88), that enables  drivers to easily reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. 

According to Growth Energy, if the United States transitioned from driving with the standard E10 blend to E15, the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions would decrease by 17.62 million tons per year, the equivalent of removing approximately 3.85 million vehicles from the road.  

The biofuel is currently approved for use in cars model year 2001 and newer and is available at over 2,460 retail sites in 30 states.

A+
a-
  • biofuel
  • Deb Fischer
  • E15
  • ethanol
  • Tammy Duckworth
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Energy

    March 27, 2024
    by TWN Staff
    Rep. Cleaver New Co-Chair of House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus. He was invited to serve as co-chair by Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the co-chairs of the Senate Renewable Energy and Energy... Read More

    March 26, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Biden Administration Approves Seventh Offshore Wind Project

    WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday approved the construction of the Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm, a project off... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday approved the construction of the Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm, a project off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, that proponents say will eventually power 320,000 homes. The project is the seventh commercial-scale wind farm to be approved under... Read More

    March 26, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Sen. Blumenthal Lauds Expansion of Tax Credit for Offshore Wind Projects

    NEW LONDON, Conn. — Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., visited State Pier in New London, Connecticut, on Monday to tout and... Read More

    NEW LONDON, Conn. — Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., visited State Pier in New London, Connecticut, on Monday to tout and celebrate the Biden administration’s decision to expand eligibility of federal tax credits for offshore wind projects. “This tax credit has been a long time in coming,”... Read More

    Here Are the Big Hurdles to the Global Push to Build Up Renewable Energy

    The world's governments have agreed they want to triple renewable energy by 2030, a goal laid out at the U.N.... Read More

    The world's governments have agreed they want to triple renewable energy by 2030, a goal laid out at the U.N. climate summit in December. But right now, the post-pandemic global economy is throwing up obstacles that will need to be overcome if the goal is going... Read More

    March 25, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Energy Department Awards $6B to Decarbonization Projects

    WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy on Monday awarded $6 billion to 33 projects across more than 20 states... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy on Monday awarded $6 billion to 33 projects across more than 20 states to decarbonize energy-intensive industries while creating jobs and revitalizing the communities in which they are located. Funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act,... Read More

    Energy Agency Announces $6B to Slash Emissions in Industrial Facilities

    The Biden administration announced $6 billion in funding Monday for projects that will slash emissions from the industrial sector —... Read More

    The Biden administration announced $6 billion in funding Monday for projects that will slash emissions from the industrial sector — the largest-ever U.S. investment to decarbonize domestic industry to fight climate change. The industrial sector is responsible for roughly 25% of all the nation’s emissions, and has... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top