Twenty senators delivered a letter to President Trump yesterday firmly stating their opposition to rumored regulatory action to expand the sale of E15 fuel. In an effort to address concerns related to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reportedly considering waiving certain Clean Air Act requirements related to Reid vapor pressure (RVP) to increase E15 sales. But this proposal is no fix for the broken RFS – not even close – and is out of alignment with the President’s stated intentions of finding a deal that works for all stakeholders. In the letter, the senators make clear:
[A] one-sided approach to addressing concerns related to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that favors only one industry stakeholder is misguided, would do nothing to address the policies impacting refinery jobs and could hurt millions of consumers whose vehicles and equipment are not compatible with higher ethanol blended gasoline.
These senators are not alone in their reservations. Last year, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee considered legislation by Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska that would waive Reid vapor pressure (RVP) rules for E15, but the bill (S.517) was not reported out of committee. There wasn’t enough support to even hold a vote. It's vital to note that consumers are not clamoring for the sale of E15 — many have vehicles and machinery that can’t use the fuel. Even in Iowa, sales of ethanol-free fuel are nearly four times higher than sales of E15. AFPM applauds the 20 senators who recognize that this rumored proposal, if true, is one-sided and that focusing administrative efforts on this policy change is a distraction from the real work of fixing the broken ethanol mandate.
