Senator Baldwin Urges Biden to Prioritize E15 Fuel to Cut Price at the Pump and Boost Wisconsin Agriculture

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined her Democratic and Republican colleagues in urging the Biden Administration to permit the summertime sale of E15 fuel. The Senators note that American biofuels are a clean and reliable energy solution that will help drive down fuel costs for consumers.

"As your previous temporary waivers have proven, permitting the sale of higher blends of biofuels like E15 through the summer driving season bolsters the domestic fuel supply, lowers consumer costs, and promotes the environmental benefits of American biofuels and modern agriculture," wrote the Senators.

"Providing continued access to a more affordable, lower-carbon fuel, like E15, will not only save drivers money at the pump, but it will also help farmers across the country," said Harold Wolle, president of the National Corn Growers Association. "Yet, time is of the essence as we quickly approach the summer months. We are deeply appreciative to the bipartisan support we are receiving from our Senate champions on this issue."

Senator Baldwin has long championed increasing the use of biofuels to reduce the price at the pump and support Wisconsin's farmers, producers, and rural communities. Last year, Senator Baldwin and a bipartisan group of colleagues called on the Biden administration to permit the year-round sale of E15 fuel in 2023 and introduced legislation to allow the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10%. Shortly thereafter, the Biden administration announced they would allow E15 fuel to be sold during the summer months.

In addition to Senator Baldwin, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators John Thune (R-SD), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Hoeven (R-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Gary Peters (D-MI), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and J.D. Vance (R-OH).

A full version of the letter is available here and below.

Dear President Biden:

We write to request that you again take swift executive action to permit the sale of E15 fuel during the 2024 summer driving season by extending the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) waiver, nationwide, from June 1 through September 15.

Enabling the year-round sale of E15, as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permitted in both 2022 and 2023 through nationwide temporary waivers under Clean Air Act Section 211(c)(4)(C)(ii), helped allow our energy supply chain to "address extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances caused by the war in Ukraine that are affecting all regions of the nation." Unfortunately, this underlying justification remains applicable as Russia's war of aggression continues to weigh on global energy and security. Further, Iran-backed aggression in the Middle East, specifically Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, presents new threats to global energy markets and our energy security.

To counter these influences, we must pursue an all-of-the-above energy strategy, which includes leveraging domestic biofuels. As your previous temporary waivers have proven, permitting the sale of higher blends of biofuels like E15 through the summer driving season bolsters the domestic fuel supply, lowers consumer costs, and promotes the environmental benefits of American biofuels and modern agriculture.

Furthermore, temporary action is again required in light of the EPA's announcement to postpone until 2025 the implementation of eight state petitions to sell E15 year-round. As you know, the consideration of state action has led to a historic agreement between liquid fuel stakeholders in support of securing a permanent legislative solution to allow nationwide, year-round E15 sales, while respecting each state's authority to opt-out of such a program. Taking temporary action now will continue the uninterrupted sale of E15 for what would be the sixth consecutive year, a major win for consumer choice and emissions reductions.

Lastly, extending the nationwide sale of E15 could again add billions of gallons of ethanol to the fuel supply at a time domestic inventories of crude oil and petroleum products are at their lowest point since May 2004, below when the EPA issued its 2022 and 2023 waivers. Furthermore, additional decreases in OPEC oil production will only amplify the already robust market for U.S. exports at a time of rising fuel demand.

American biofuels remain a straightforward, no-cost solution to shoring up our energy supply and reducing consumer costs, and issuing a waiver for the 2024 summer driving season remains in the public's best interest. Thank you for your swift consideration of this request.

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