After waiting until the very last minute, the Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline — gasoline blended with 15% ethanol — to be sold during the summer driving season this year. A decision had to be made before April 30 so terminal operators would still be able to sell the blend after May 1. …
EPA Agrees to Allow Summer E15 This Year
After weeks of intense lobbying by ethanol supporters, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to use its existing authority to provide continued access throughout the summer months for E15, literally at the very last moment to allow continued sale of the fuel from terminals after April 30th EPA announced today that the 15% ethanol fuel blend will be exempted …
Comment Period for Eight State E15 Waiver Ends
The comment period for EPA’s proposed rule issued in response to petitions by the governors of several Midwest states to remove the 1-pound per square inch Reid vapor pressure waiver for summer conventional gasoline containing 10% ethanol ended yesterday, almost exactly one year to the day since it was requested. EPA is proposing to remove the 1-psi waiver in Illinois, …
What ChatGPT Knows About Ethanol
What does the artificial intelligence chatbot known as ChatGPT know about ethanol? I decided to chat with ChatGPT and find out. One question I asked was “Is ethanol fuel good for the environment?” ChatGPT response: Ethanol fuel can have both positive and negative impacts on the environment, depending on how it is produced and used. On the positive side, ethanol …
EPA Administrator Grilled on Summer E15
Despite repeated questioning from members of the House Agriculture Committee on the topic, EPA Administrator Michael Regan refused to say when, or if, the agency will grant emergency waivers to allow retail sales of E15 this summer. “If I give you an answer today I can guarantee you that somebody’s going to file into court and it’s going to be …
E15 Ethanol Blend Now Available in New York
Drivers in New York state now have at least one location where they can purchase E15, the low-cost, lower-carbon fuel blend containing 15 percent ethanol. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, one of the first locations offering E15 in the Empire State is the Dandy Mini Mart and Travel Plaza in Nichols, where drivers recently reported purchasing the fuel for …
Ethanol Report on E15 in Limbo
With only weeks until the summer driving season starts, the future of E15 retail sales for the summer remains in limbo, and the clock is ticking. A plan was already in place by this time last year and at this point the only solution requires immediate action by the Biden administration. In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, Renewable …
Ethanol Industry Pans Proposed Emission Standards
Ethanol industry stakeholders panned the Environmental Protection Agency’s new proposed federal vehicle emissions standards released today as the deadline looms for taking action to allow uninterrupted sales of 15% ethanol fuel this summer. “While we certainly share the Biden administration’s goals of increasing vehicle efficiency and reducing carbon emissions from transportation, we strongly disagree with policy approaches that arbitrarily pick …
With E15 in Limbo, Biden Backs EVs
It was one year ago today that President Joe Biden visited an Iowa ethanol plant to announce an emergency waiver to allow 15% ethanol fuel to be sold across the United States during the summer months. “(W)ith this waiver, on June 1, you’re not going to show up at your local gas station and see a bag over the pump …
RFA Kicks Off Ad Campaign for E15
With the summer driving season less than two months away and fuel prices again on the rise, the Renewable Fuels Association this week kicked off an advertising campaign and call-to-action targeting ethanol supporters across the Midwest, as well as policymakers and insiders in Washington D.C. RFA is running radio spots and print ads in D.C. and Midwest markets, as well …