A Reuters story out the day after Thanksgiving cites anonymous sources claiming the Biden administration is stalling any action on a petition from Midwestern governors to allow year round sales of E15 beginning in summer 2024.

According to the Reuters report, “The two sources familiar with the administration’s thinking, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the White House decided to delay action on the matter following the oil industry’s warnings in part because of concern that higher pump prices in certain states could hurt Biden’s re-election chances.”

The governors of eight Midwestern states petitioned EPA back in April 2022 to make the regulatory change allowing year round E15 sales and even though the Clean Air Act requiring the EPA to comply within 90 days, it was not until March 2023 that EPA proposed regulations to require fuel suppliers in these states to slightly reduce the volatility of gasoline beginning on May 1, 2024. EPA has yet to take final action on that proposal and in August the attorney generals of Iowa and Nebraska sued EPA for failing to meet a statutory deadline.

U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), who signed on to the original petition as governor of Nebraska, released the following statement in response to the report. “The Biden administration needs to follow the law and keep their commitments for this summer. President Biden has overlooked and underestimated the economic and environmental benefits of biofuels like ethanol as part of our energy portfolio. Ethanol saves consumers money at the pump, it is made in the USA and a boom to Midwest state economies, and it’s good for the environment.”