The National Corn Growers Association is urging drivers to fuel up with E15 as the fuel again becomes available Sunday following its limited summer availability. NCGA also renewed its call for President Trump to follow through on his commitment to allow for year-round sales of E15 and ethanol blends greater than 10 percent.
“Starting September 16, consumers will once again have the option to choose E15 at the pump,” said NCGA President Kevin Skunes. “E15 typically costs 3 to 10 cents less than regular E10 gasoline and offers more environmental benefits, making it a common-sense choice for many drivers. When consumers benefit from choice, it makes no sense than an outdated regulation prevents E15 from being sold in many areas for three and a half months of the year.”
“Just this week, USDA said it is anticipating near-record level corn production. Approving year-round E15 would go a long way toward growing the market for this year’s crop,” Skunes added.
NCGA recently joined other agriculture and ethanol groups in a
letter to President Trump urging he immediately restore the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and allow year-round sales of E15 and other mid-level ethanol blends.
Outdated regulations limit the ability of fuel retailers to offer ethanol blends greater than 10 percent in most of the country from June 1 to September 15. EPA made the current regulatory interpretation long before E15 became an approved fuel in 2011. EPA’s regulation aims to limit evaporative emissions from fuel, which is measured by its Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). Providing the same RVP treatment for E15 as EPA currently applies to E10 would enable year-round sales of E15 without impacting evaporative emissions because E15 and other blends greater than 10 percent have lower emissions. E15 is currently sold at more than 1400 stations in
30 states.