The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Feb. 22 said it would allow eight Midwest states to sell gasoline with 15% ethanol year-round beginning on Apr. 28, 2025.
The federal government currently restricts E15 sales in the summer due to concerns about smog. The ethanol industry, which disputes the adverse summertime environmental impacts of E15, has wanted year-round sales for years.
In 2022, the governors of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin asked EPA to allow E15 in the summer, saying that adding ethanol would boost fuel volumes and help lower pump prices.
The Renewable Fuels Association, the biofuels trade group, called the approval a “double-edged sword for American consumers” because while the move should help reduce pump prices next summer, it will do nothing this summer.
“While we are pleased to see EPA has finally approved year-round E15 in these eight states, we are extremely disappointed by the agency’s needless decision to delay implementation until 2025,” said RFA president and chief executive officer Geoff Cooper. “It’s helpful to finally have some certainty about 2025 and beyond, but what happens this summer? The Biden administration missed its statutory deadline to finalize the governors’ petition by more than 500 days, and now it claims there just isn’t enough time to implement the rule in time for summer 2024.”
RFA urged the administration to ensure that US consumers have access to E15 this summer, and it asked Congress to pass legislation to allow full-year sales permanently.
EPA said its decision to wait until the summer of 2025 to allow year-long sales was due to “concerns over insufficient fuel supply.” Some East Coast refiners have argued that allowing E15 in only select states—instead of nationwide—could cause localized fuel spikes and supply issues.
