The continuing resolution to fund the government into next year contains a provision that may finally succeed in making E15 available year-round in every state, something the ethanol industry has been working toward since it was first approved by the EPA in 2011.

“We are very pleased to see that the long-awaited fix allowing year-round E15 is included in this package,” said Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “This language would finally remove an outdated, red-tape regulatory barrier, and we remain hopeful that the continuing resolution will move swiftly through Congress and to the president’s desk for signature. Allowing year-round sales of E15 will benefit farmers, fuel retailers, and—most importantly—consumers seeking lower-cost, cleaner fuel options at the pump.”

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings said, “Legislation to ensure year-round availability of E15 in the U.S. has been at the top of our to-do list for a very long time. We are enormously grateful to our champions in Congress who persistently worked to include this provision in the year-end package. We are deeply grateful to the senators and representatives who fought tirelessly to make this happen.”

The measure also includes a provision for certain small refineries that submitted petitions for small refinery exemptions in 2016, 2017, and 2018 that would allow them to have their credits returned and would be eligible for future compliance years, similar to wording in the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act proposed in Congress. That bill was sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE).

“This will once and for all solidify President Trump’s pledge to allow the sale of year-round E15—giving America’s producers and consumers the certainty they deserve,” said Fischer. “This will put an end to years of patchwork regulations and finally make nationwide year-round E15 a reality.”