Midwest lawmakers ask Biden to make ethanol-heavy fuel available year round

Dozens of bipartisan lawmakers representing Midwestern states are calling on the Biden administration to permit the sale of more ethanol-heavy fuel year-round.

The demand centers around E-15, a fuel blend that contains 15 percent ethanol that has long been subject to restrictions on its sale during summer months.

Last year, amid spiraling gas prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration issued a waiver suspending the federal rule that prevents such sales. Since then, eight Midwestern governors have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to permanently end the seasonal limitations.

In a letter Thursday, 10 senators and 21 House members representing both parties called on EPA Administrator Michael Regan to grant the request.

The Clean Air Act allows the EPA to temporarily waive some fuel blending restrictions. The governors first made the request in mid-2022.

While the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) began the review process to respond to the request in December, it has not yet made the regulatory package publicly available.

“As we gear up for the summer 2023 travel season, we have the production and distribution infrastructure to meet consumer demand for this lower cost and environmentally friendly fuel option,” staffers there wrote. “By working swiftly to finalize the Governors’ requests, you will bring much needed certainty to our corn growers, fuel retailers, and consumers to enjoy the clean-burning, lower cost benefits of year-round E15 through the 2023 summer driving season.”

Senators signing the bill included Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Roger Marshall (D-Kan.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).

The letter follows a similar request by state attorneys general in January, who noted the deadline as well as the possibility that failure to act could lead to higher auto emissions this summer.

Proponents of increased E15 use argue it burns more cleanly and thus reduces emissions, while critics point to its higher ethanol content and say that makes it more vulnerable and a greater contributor to smog.

The Hill has reached out to the EPA and OMB for comment.