The California legislature is considering a bill that would finally allow E15 to be sold in the state, nearly a year after lawmakers unanimously passed and the governor signed legislation in 2025 allowing those sales. But it must be passed by midnight tonight when the legislative session comes to a close.
The E15 Clean-Up Act (Calif. SB 795) was amended in the Assembly over the weekend in an effort to allow the authorization of gasoline vapor control systems for E15 compatibility. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has been working closely with California state Sen. Bob Archuletta (D-Pico Rivera), Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-San Diego), Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares (R-Valencia) and the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus to get the legislation to this point.
According to RFA, the bill would allow retailers to use existing Stage II equipment to dispense E15 if the manufacturer of that equipment submits a statement of compatibility to the relevant state agencies.
The California Environmental Policy Council recently voted unanimously to approve the E15 multimedia analysis, the final step in the regulatory process to formally approve E15. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is expected to approve its E15 regulation at its Sept. 24 meeting.
However, RFA’s Robert White says the dispenser problem remains even with CARB approval. “Until the resolution is reached on stage 2 vapor recovery, the final rulemaking from CARB is for naught because we will still have that equipment issue,” said White in the latest Ethanol Report podcast. “But hopefully a path forward is coming soon and consumers will finally get that opportunity to embrace that lower price product.”
No matter what happens, White says RFA will continue working with retailers in California to get them ready to sell E15 as soon as they can. “We think we’re getting to the end and we need more retailers at the ready than what we already have,” White says. “California will be different than any other state because the retail infrastructure is more ready than any other state. They can sell it year round as we still wait on Congress and the price point will be so much less and at the same time it meets all of their environmental goals that they’ve been trying to achieve for a very long time.”
RFA will be kicking off its retailer workshops next week at the CFCA Summit, organized by the California Fuels and Convenience Alliance, the state’s largest annual gathering for the petroleum and convenience store industries.