Consumer choice at the pump takes a step backward this month as the Environmental Protection Agency?s (EPA) restriction on summertime E15 ethanol sales goes into effect. A regulatory barrier currently limits the ability of fuel retailers to offer 15% ethanol blends in most of the country from June 1 to Sept. 15.
Congress has introduced the bipartisan the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to address the issue and restore consumer choice year-round.
?This regulation handcuffs fuel retailers who want to offer E15 to customers year-round,? said Paul Jeschke, National Corn Growers Association Ethanol Action Team Chair, a farmer from Mazon, Illinois. ?And, because E15 typically costs less per gallon than regular gas, consumers lose the opportunity to save money during the summer driving season when they make more stops to fill up.?
Federal law and regulations limit the amount of evaporative emissions from vehicle fuel, which is measured by its Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). Fuels blended with up to 10% ethanol have a one pound RVP waiver because ethanol-blended fuels reduce tailpipe emissions. To date, the EPA has declined to grant a similar waiver for 15% ethanol blends, although new EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is reviewing the agency?s legal authority when it comes to changing this regulation. E15 produces lower emissions than regular gasoline, and E15 can be sold year-round in areas with air quality challenges.
The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act (S. 517, H.R. 1311) clarifies that blends greater than 10%, such as E15, should receive the same RVP treatment as E10, eliminating this annual consumer confusion at the pump. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Joe Donnelly (D-Indiana), and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced the Senate bill, and Reps. Adrian Smith (R-Nebraska) and David Loebsack (D-Iowa) introduced the House bill.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is expected to hold a hearing on this legislation in June, and NCGA is urging the Committee to approve and advance the legislation this summer.
?We applaud the Senate co-sponsors of this legislation for getting this bill on the agenda this summer, and we ask Senators to back this common-sense solution,? Jeschke said. ?The RVP issue is a significant hurdle to expanding consumer access to higher ethanol blends. Congress should step up and remove this barrier so consumers can have more choice, and more savings, at the pump all year long.?
