WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) joined Congressman Zach Nunn (IA-03) in introducing the Year-Round E15 Act, bipartisan legislation that would allow for the sale of E15 across eight Midwestern states.

 The bipartisan Year-Round E15 Act would extend the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) volatility waiver to ethanol blends above 10 percent to allow for the year-round sale of E15 in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin for 2024.  

“The ethanol industry is a driving force for southern Minnesota’s economy and provides a cleaner, low-cost energy source for consumers at the pump,” said Rep. Finstad. “Though the EPA recently announced the year-round sale of E15 in the Midwest starting in 2025, farmers, ethanol producers, and Americans' pocketbooks are footing the bill for this multi-year delay. I’m proud to help introduce this legislation which will allow for the sale of E15 this summer.”

 “Since day one, I’ve been fighting for year-round E15. Unfortunately, this Administration has repeatedly put America’s producers and families behind as they stubbornly opposed E15, which is good for the economy, good for the climate, and good for families,” said Rep. Nunn. “This bill wouldn’t be necessary if the Administration had just done the right thing to begin with, but this is a critical step to provide certainty for farmers, producers, and families who will benefit from less expensive fuel.”

Background:

In April of 2022, eight Midwestern governors submitted a letter urging the Biden Administration to allow year-round sales of E15. Under current law, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to act upon this request within 90 days. The EPA waited until March 6, 2023, just days before biofuel producers would have halted production, to issue a waiver for E15 sales for the summer of 2023. 

On February 9, 2023, Rep. Finstad pressed the administration for action on year-round E-15, leading a bipartisan group of 31 members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives in sending a letter to EPA and Office of Management and Budget (OMB), urging the agencies to quickly implement their outstanding regulatory action on the request made the previous April.

In December 2023, Congressman Finstad led a bi-partisan letter urging the EPA and the OMB urging the administration to remove the 1-psi volatility waiver for gasoline and ethanol blends, like E15.  This follow-up letter was sent 300 days after Congressman Finstad led a bicameral letter with U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) urging the EPA and the OMB to act on the request made by the Midwestern governors.

On February 22, 2024, the EPA issued its final ruling to allow for the year-round sale of E15 beginning April 28, 2025, a year after the Biden Administration’s initial proposed implementation date of April 28, 2024. By delaying the implementation, the EPA is punishing American families and farmers who have already faced record inflation, skyrocketing fuel prices, and uncertainty in the market due to the Administration’s economic policies.