As the events in the Middle East have led to a spike in oil prices and the expectation of higher gasoline prices for American drivers, the Renewable Fuels Association renews its urgent call for Congress to pass legislation to allow the nationwide year-round sale of the lower-cost, American-made E15, a blend with 15 percent ethanol.
“Once again, the events in the Middle East and the spike in oil prices demonstrates this country’s overreliance on foreign sources for our energy,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “We need to take every action we can to insulate our nation from these geopolitically induced price spikes at the pump, and an easy solution is to increase our use of domestically produced ethanol. Congress must pass legislation to allow year-round E15, as President Trump has called them to do. This action has bipartisan and bicameral support, and American consumers demand it.”
Recent polling of 2,000 registered voters by Morning Consult indicates:
- 78 percent are very or somewhat concerned about gas price fluctuations.
- 78 percent believe renewable fuels like ethanol are important to energy independence.
- 73 percent believe it is very or somewhat important for their fuel to be made in America.
In 2025, the U.S. imported 314 million barrels of oil from OPEC countries. If E15 were adopted nationally, Cooper said, the additional ethanol would displace half of this volume.
A 2019 gas price study by independent economist and energy expert Dr. Philip K. Verleger, Jr. looked at oil market disruptions over nearly 50 years and showed how the availability of ethanol avoids a significant impact to U.S. gasoline prices from a supply disruption and saves consumers a significant amount of money at the pump. Verleger cataloged various crises and their impacts on the oil supply, from the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo to ongoing political and economic challenges in Venezuela. When it comes to crises such as these, Verleger asserts that “even a modest amount of renewable fuels can significantly moderate the price impact of market disruptions.”
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