A mix of oil, biofuel and retail interests are asking Congress to advance legislation to allow year-round sales of E15, bringing a coalition together that offers new life for a long-running renewable fuels industry priority.
In a letter sent to the four party leaders of the House and Senate and a handful of other lawmakers, the groups say legislation should be quickly adopted that “permanently resolves inconsistent fuel volatility rules.” Current law prevents E15 from being sold during the summer due to fuel volatility language in the Clean Air Act. Both the Trump and Biden administrations have used some form of regulatory relief to allow the sale to take place, but the Trump approach was struck down in the courts and the Biden approach was identified as a temporary fuel shortage mitigation measure.
News of a compromise deal between the American Petroleum Institute and biofuel groups first emerged earlier this month, when the group and the Renewable Fuels Association both acknowledged talks with Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., on the issue. API signaled its concern about a “boutique fuel market in the Midwest” that could be created if the Environmental Protection Agency moves forward with a petition to allow the fuel to be sold in nine states.
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“Our groups have come together — for the first time ever — to support legislation that would resolve this issue once and for all,” the coalition says in its letter.
In addition to API and RFA, the letter also carries the signatures of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Growth Energy, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Corn Growers Association, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, National Farmers Union, National Sorghum Producers, NATSO (formerly the National Association of Truck Stop Operators), and SIGMA – America’s Leading Fuel Marketers.
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