Advocating for year-round E15

Nov 08, 2021

Seven governors want to open a dialogue with the Environmental Protection Agency

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Seven Midwestern governors want to work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on laying the groundwork for year-round E15 availability.

The bipartisan governors from Iowa (Kim Reynolds), Nebraska (Pete Ricketts), North Dakota (Doug Burgum), South Dakota (Kristi Noem), Missouri (Michael Parson), Minnesota (Tim Walz) and Wisconsin (Tony Evers), sent a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan on Nov. 4 asking for collaboration on the issue.

“In the wake of the court decision, we are exploring all of our options to ensure retailers are able to sell E15 to consumers all year long without interruption,” the letter says.

In July, the D.C. Circuit Court overturned a Trump-era rule to allow E15 to be sold during summer months.

Summer blends are usually limited to 10 percent ethanol to help control smog in warmer weather.

In 2019, U.S. farmers produced about 13.66 billion bushels of corn. Of those, about 5.38 billion were used to make ethanol, the U.S. Department of Energy says.

Under the Clean Air Act, governors can ask the EPA to allow E15 to be sold in individual states all year.

The Midwest governors are looking at all options to ensure this renewable fuel is available.

“The disappointing DC Circuit Court ruling earlier this year again shows the inconsistency we continue to see from Washington, DC and the EPA on renewable fuels, and it is time for states to stand up and take action,” Gov. Reynolds said in a Nov. 4 statement. “As the Governor of the top renewable fuel-producing state, I am proud to lead a letter with my colleagues to send a clear message that we will pursue every avenue to ensure that consumers can have unrestricted and increased access to less expensive, cleaner-burning E-15.”

Industry groups support the seven governors taking this approach.

Allowing these states to sell E15 throughout the year would expand ethanol consumption by nearly 700 million gallons and boost corn demand by about 225 million bushels, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) said.

“Ethanol producers and farmers stand with these governors, and we will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of an open and competitive marketplace for E15 and other lower-cost, lower-carbon ethanol blends,” RFA President Geoff Cooper said in a release.

Video: Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard

On Friday, April 24, 2026, from 12 noon–1:00 ET, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) Agricultural Business Development Center (ABDC), presented this webinar in the Understanding Agricultural Law Educational Series, a course designed to develop subject matter literacy and competence on fundamental issues of agricultural law for attorneys and business advisors who work with or represent agricultural or rural clients but may not necessarily specialize in agricultural law:

“Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard”

The Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program requires transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, or advanced biofuels. Established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and later expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the RFS is implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

This webinar provides an overview of the legal authority and structure for the RFS program and explain how it works, including the program’s system of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) and categories of renewable fuels. Additionally, this webinar addresses EPA annual volume requirement rulemaking and associated recent legal issues.