Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig this week sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging him to immediately sign an “emergency waiver” to allow summer sales of E15 (15% ethanol fuel) this year.
In February, the EPA approved a request by Governor Reynolds and seven other Midwest governors to allow the sale of E15 fuel year-round beginning in 2025. While the news was generally welcomed, the decision was more than a year late as required by law, Attorney General Brenna Bird had to file a lawsuit to force EPA to act, and the rule inexplicably did not apply to 2024.
Now, as the summer driving season quickly approaches, everyone from drivers to gas station owners are stuck in a state of limbo awaiting news if an “emergency waiver” will be put in place for this summer.
“With the summer driving season just weeks away, the Biden Administration must take immediate action to ensure that Iowa drivers do not lose access to lower cost E15,” said Secretary Naig. “At a time when inflation is running hot, oil prices are rising and global events are producing turmoil, year-round E15 would provide significant savings to consumers, help America be more energy independent and reduce emissions.”