Passage of federal legislation to permanently allow year-round availability of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol– or E15– is viewed by some agriculture leaders as being critical to boosting farm income.
Renewable Fuels Association’s Troy Bredenkamp says the connection between year-round E15 and the Iran war is unmistakable.
“This situation that has developed in the Middle East, I think, just screams the need for us to have year-round E15, and the need for Congress to get this done as soon as possible.”
South Dakota Senator and Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested this week that there may be a pathway forward.
“It’s a national security issue, so, yeah, I think that makes sense.”
Budget Committee member Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa doesn’t see legislation providing permanent to E15 getting passed through the Senate and House. He believes that a party-line budget bill won’t have E15, so a farm and war legislative package would be the next best choice
“The prominence of the war and the increased farm input costs through urea and diesel is very much connected. I’m going to let the world know about that.”
Last month (March 26, 26), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a temporary, emergency fuel waiver to allow nationwide sales of E15. The waiver also removes all federal deterrents to selling E10– gasoline blended with 10% ethanol– across the country.
Currently, year-round sales of E15 are only permitted in eight states– South Dakota, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin.
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