| The Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that it will grant the request by eight Midwestern governors to allow the year-round sale of fuel with a 15% ethanol blend, or E15, in their states beginning in the summer of 2025.
The announcement was welcomed by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and the North Dakota Corn Growers Association, which have been fighting to break down barriers to the environmentally friendly biofuels.
“We are glad to hear this decision from EPA, as it puts us on the road to providing more certainty to America’s corn growers and consumers who will save money at the pump,” said NCGA President and Minnesota Farmer Harold Wolle. “However, given that this decision will not take effect until the summer of 2025, we question and are concerned about the implications of the timeline for growers and consumers this summer.”
The sale of E15 has been banned during the summer months to meet federal clean air standards that have been shown to be unnecessary and outdated. The U.S. EPA has granted waivers over the last few years to allow drivers continued access to environmentally friendly and affordable E15.
Even after today’s announcement, NCGA says a permanent legislative fix is still needed.
“While we are pleased with today’s decision, we still need a law that codifies access to higher levels of ethanol and that eliminates the patchwork of state regulations on the issue,” said Wolle. “That is why we are pushing for the passage of the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act in the Senate to solve this issue once and for all.”
“We applaud the EPA granting the eight bipartisan Midwest state governors their request to offer year-round E-15 in their states,” said Andrew Mauch, North Dakota Corn Growers Association President and corn producer from Mooreton, ND. “It is unfortunate that our state governor, who was part of the initial request in April 2022 rescinded North Dakota’s ask, because otherwise our state would have been included in this week’s announcement. We are still working towards a nationwide year-round E15 policy, and we think that is likely to eventually happen,” added Mauch.
“Like those eight neighboring states, North Dakota’s residents also deserve to have year-round access to fuel that is not only lower cost per mile than traditional fossil fuel-based gas; at least 40 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions1, cleaner burning and better for the environment; allows our country to be more energy independent; and one that supports North Dakotas agriculture economy that all of our communities depend on,” continued Mauch. |
