Iowans in Congress renew push for year-round E15

Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation are renewing their push for federal officials to allow the sale of E15 in Iowa year-round.

U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, along with Reps. Randy Feenstra, Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson, signed onto a bipartisan letter Thursday urging Biden administration officials to finalize a rule that would allow the sale of E15 — gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol — during the summer months in some Midwestern states.

It’s the latest beat in a battle stretching over a year from several Midwestern states to make the year-round sale of the fuel permanent. Federal rules limit the sale of E15 between June 1 and Sept. 15 because of concerns that it contributes to smog.

In a letter from 22 members of Congress, the lawmakers said the approval would provide certainty to refiners and retailers who are preparing for the summer 2024 driving season.

Governors asked for rule change a year ago

In April 2022, eight Midwestern governors, including Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, made a request under the Clean Air Act to make the year-round sale of E15 permanent.

Federal regulators approved waivers in 2022 and 2023, allowing the sale of the fuel in the summer months, citing the high cost of gasoline during that time spurred by supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine.

The EPA released a proposed rule-making in March of this year that would have made the summer sale of E15 permanent, starting in April 2024.

But after final implementation of the rule was delayed, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird sued the EPA in August, accusing the agency of illegally delaying its rule-making process. The Clean Air Act requires the agency to finalize a rule requested by governors within 90 days of the request.

The EPA said in a court filing this week it plans to implement the final rule by March 2024, but lawyers for Iowa and Nebraska asked the court to reject that plan and force the agency to finalize the rule sooner.

Lawmakers say approval will provide certainty

In their letter Thursday, the lawmakers pointed to reporting from Reuters that suggested officials are delaying the rule-making over warnings from oil refiners that approving the rule would risk supply chain issues and gas price increases.

The lawmakers refuted that claim, and pointed to analyses from MathPro and ICF that found Midwestern infrastructure is prepared to make that switch. They also pointed to EPA estimates that E15 fuel is about 25 cents cheaper than E10.

“Homegrown, American-produced ethanol strengthens our national security and ensures lower vehicle emissions to achieve the administration’s climate goals,” the letter says.

“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.”

Iowa leads the nation in ethanol production, using more than half of the corn grown in the state to produce as much as 4.5 billion gallons a year.