California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a $321 billion budget on Friday that allocates dedicated resources to fund the rulemaking process needed to make E15 a legal fuel, ensuring that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has the financial support necessary to finalize regulatory work related to E15 and help expand consumer access to the fuel across the state. California remains …
Ethanol Helps Lower Summer Gas Prices
According to the White House, Americans are seeing the cheapest summertime gas prices since 2021 — more than 20 cents less than last year at this time – and a new study shows ethanol is helping to keep gas prices lower. The study was done by energy researcher George Hoekstra of Hoekstra Trading who analyzed the economics of substituting ethanol …
RFA Urges E15 Deregulation to Lower Pump Prices
Amid fears that Middle East conflicts could lead to higher fuel prices, the Renewable Fuels Association is urging President Trump to eliminate some of the burdensome regulatory roadblocks that are preventing broader use of 15% ethanol blended fuel, E15 or Unleaded 88. RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper sent a letter to President Trump noting that the U.S. currently has …
Iowa Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Grants Hit Record
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) last week awarded $1 million in cost-share grants to support the installation of E15 at 91 additional retail fuel sites across Iowa. This milestone brings the total number of E15 projects awarded this fiscal year to a record 388, by far the most grants in a year since RFIP’s inception. RFIP has awarded …
Ethanol is American-Made for Memorial Day
With Memorial Day weekend coming up, Renewable Fuels Association Senior Vice President, Industry Relations & Market Development, Robert White reminds us that we have a chance to take a stand against foreign oil and in favor of our country’s energy independence, by choosing ethanol-blended fuel when we travel. “On Monday, our nation will remember the many men and women whose …
EPA Admin Addresses E15 and RVO Questions
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin faced members of the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday to answer questions about the agency’s 2026 fiscal year budget request, including as it relates to biofuels. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) asked Zeldin about the need for a permanent legislative solution for the nationwide sale of year-round E15. “Is it true that, despite President Trump’s …
EPA Announces Summertime Waivers for E15
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issued the first in a series of waivers to allow sales of 15% ethanol blended gasoline, E15, to continue this summer. The first waiver begins on May 1, 2025, and lasts through May 20, 2025. By doing so, EPA will keep E15 on the market giving consumers more options across the nation. This …
Waiting on E15 Summer Waivers
For the past three years, EPA has announced in April that waivers would be issued to allow nationwide summertime sales of 15% ethanol fuel, or E15. Last year, the announcement was made April 19, and the previous two years it was April 28 and 29, but the Trump administration has yet to take that action for this summer. This week, …
California Receives LCFS Comments
This week was the final deadline to provide comments to the California Air Resources Board regarding proposed modifications to the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. The Renewable Fuels Association filed comments on the proposal Monday. In its comments and an attached analysis, RFA said empirical data clearly undermine CARB’s rationale for including the new sustainability requirements for grain-based ethanol. CARB …
Unleaded 88 Saved Minnesotans $24 Million in 2024
Unleaded 88, or E15, saved Minnesota drivers over $24 million at the pump last year, with prices an average of 17 cents per gallon less than 87 octane, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Commerce. The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association reports that the annual volume of Unleaded 88 sold in Minnesota last year hit a new record of 142.75 …