The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved an E15 summertime sales waiver, allowing uninterrupted nationwide sales of gasoline that contains 15 percent ethanol.
Renewable Fuels Association head Geoff Cooper says the emergency waiver approval comes as EPA cites tight oil supplies from geopolitical conflict, OPEC actions and strong gas demand at home.
“So, EPA is looking at all of those factors and using its authority under the Clean Air Act to declare emergency conditions for this summer and effectively waive the volatility requirements for E15.”
Cooper says the E15 waiver will help save drivers money, especially during higher summertime demand when gas prices rise.
“That fuel is typically priced 25 to 30 cents below E10. So, drivers that are frequenting those 35-hundred stations that sell E15 today are saving a lot of money when they pull up to the pump.”
Cooper says those drivers are giving ethanol producers and corn growers a huge boost.
“Probably about 400 million gallons of E15 sales occurred last summer, again, only because this waiver was issued last summer. We would expect similar numbers or even larger numbers this summer.”
The EPA had earlier granted a petition from eight Midwest governors– including South Dakota’s– to allow year-round E15 sales in their states, but not until 2025.
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