Smith, Craig Introduce Bipartisan Year-Round E15 Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, U.S. Representatives Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Angie Craig (D-MN) introduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2022, bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would enable the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10%, helping to lower fuel prices and improve stability and certainty in the U.S. fuel market. This bill is supported by the largest unified group of farming, biofuels and oil companies to date.

Representative Smith’s bill is the House companion to the Senate bill introduced by Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in late November.

“Year-round E15 is a win-win as it boosts American energy independence and ensures greater affordability and opportunity for consumers as well as producers,” said Representative Smith. “E15 benefits the agriculture, energy, and transportation sectors. There’s no reason not to extend to E15 the same regulatory relief currently provided to E10, and I thank Senator Fischer for her leadership on this in the Senate and Rep. Craig for her partnership on our bill in the House.”

“E15 creates opportunities for our family farmers, supports economic growth in rural America and lowers prices at the pump for Minnesotans – and ensuring this cheaper, biofuel alternative is available year-round is a win-win for all those involved in its production,” said Representative Craig. “I’m proud to have worked with Representative Smith on this bill to support our biofuel producers and farmers – and look forward to getting over the finish line.”

The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2022 would extend the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) volatility waiver to ethanol blends above 10 percent to allow for the year-round, nationwide sale of E15. In addition, it would ensure consistency across the fuel markets and limit disruptions across the national fuel supply chain by prohibiting the removal of the 1-psi waiver for E10 ethanol.

In the House, the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Act is cosponsored by Representatives Cindy Axne (D-IA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Mike Flood (R-NE), James R. Baird (R-IN), Tracey Mann (KS-1), Jim Banks (IN-03), Mary Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Jake LaTurner (R-KS), Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Ashley Hinson (IA-01),Vicky Hartzler (MO-4), Sam Graves (R-MO), Ken Buck (R-CO), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Ron Estes (R-KS), Tim Ryan (D-OH), James Comer (R-KY) and Jason Smith (R-MO).

The Senate companion to the bill is sponsored by the U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tina Smith (D-MN), John Thune (R-SD), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Mike Rounds (R-SD).

In Congress, Representative Smith has championed the issue of year-round availability of E15. This past year, he pushed the Administration to extend the availability of E15 during the summer to provide American consumers with access to a cheaper biofuel alternative at their local gas station. Additionally, he is the co-lead of the House-passed Year-Round Fuel Choice Act, which would permanently allow the summer sales of E15.

Below are statements in support of the Members’ bipartisan legislation:

“Allowing for the nationwide sale of E-15 year-round is long overdue. The state of Nebraska is fortunate to have both Congressman Smith and Senator Fischer leading the bipartisan charge to make that happen. With the introduction of the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act in both the House and the Senate, we are hopeful this issue will finally have the momentum it needs to become law,” said Mark McHargue, President of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation.

 “We applaud the work of Reps. Craig and Smith to remove unnecessary regulatory barriers to the sale of higher ethanol blends. E15 offers retailers an opportunity to diversify fuel options and improve gasoline’s emissions characteristics while lowering costs for consumers and enhancing America’s energy security,” said David Fialkov, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs for National Association of Truck Stop Owners (NATSO), speaking on behalf of NATSO and SIGMA.

“AFBF applauds Reps. Craig and Smith for this common-sense, bipartisan solution to allow for the sale of year-round E15 that supports farmers, our rural communities, and our domestic energy industry. We welcome the consistency and stability this legislation provides to the marketplace that will drive additional fuel choices for American consumers,” said Zippy Duvall, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation.

“We applaud Reps. Angie Craig and Adrian Smith, along with their bipartisan cosponsors, for introducing new legislation to keep higher ethanol blends accessible, saving consumer money at the pump and enhancing our energy security,” said Tom Haag, President of National Corn Growers. “This bill provides a commonsense resolution to a long-standing outdated barrier to ensure drivers across the country continue to have year-round access to safe, low-cost, low-emission E15.”

“NFU is thankful our congressional champions, including Rep. Angie Craig, have introduced a legislative fix to allow year-round sales of E15. We have long supported a move to higher level blends of ethanol and are pleased to work with a diverse coalition of petroleum, renewable fuel, and agriculture groups in support of this effort,” said Rob Larew, President of the National Farmers Union.

“Our nation’s ethanol producers, oil refiners, fuel retailers, equipment manufacturers, and farmers have all come together for the first time ever to support legislation that ensures American families can choose lower-cost, lower-carbon E15 at the pump every single day of the year,” said Geoff Cooper, President and CEO of Rural Finance Authority. “We thank Reps. Craig, Smith, and other renewable fuel supporters in the House for introducing this bill to bring much-needed consistency and stability to the marketplace. This simple and straightforward solution will finally remove a burdensome and nonsensical barrier to broader deployment of cleaner, more affordable fuels. We are highly encouraged by the broad, diverse and bipartisan support that this effort is receiving, and we urge Congress to move quickly to adopt this commonsense legislation.”

“Achieving a national, permanent solution for E15 year-round is best done through Congress and we are enormously grateful for the leadership of Reps. Craig, Smith and other House biofuel leaders for introducing this legislation to clarify the statute ahead of the 2023 summer driving season,” said Brian Jennings, CEO of American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE). “Cutting the E15 red tape has been an urgent priority for our industry and this bill would help unleash the cost saving benefits greater access to higher ethanol blends offers to consumers and decarbonize our transportation sector.”

“E15 lowered fuel prices for American drivers by up to a dollar a gallon this past summer. Today, we applaud Reps. Craig and Smith for introducing this legislation that would make lower-cost, lower-carbon fuels like E15 available all year long,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “Not only would a nationwide transition to E15 save consumers over $20 billion a year in annual fuel costs; it would support an additional 188,000 jobs, put an additional $36.3 billion in income back into the pockets of American households, and generate $66.3 billion for the U.S. GDP. We hope all of Congress acts quickly to advance this legislation and deliver a gift to American drivers ahead of the busy holiday travel season.”

“Expanding access to E15 is a win-win-win for rural economies,” said Gary Wertish, President of the Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU). “Ethanol plants provide markets for family farmers and jobs in rural communities, and it costs less for consumers at the pump. Adding ethanol to gasoline also reduces toxic tailpipe emissions, which means we all breathe cleaner air. We appreciate Rep. Craig’s leadership on this issue and are eager to see this legislation passed by the House and Senate and signed by President Biden.”

“The Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation is pleased to support the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2022, introduced by Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN) and Adrian Smith (R-NE). Encouraging the use of biofuels year-round benefits consumers with an affordable, sustainable fuel option that leads to cleaner air. It also supports farmers in Minnesota by providing additional markets for their crops, and creating jobs for individuals across the state. We thank Rep. Craig for her continued leadership in support of long-term solutions for the increased use of biofuels,” said Dan Glessing, President of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation.

“MCGA thanks Reps. Angie Craig and Adrian Smith for introducing the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill removes an arcane barrier on full market access to lower-cost, lower-emission Unleaded 88 that has nothing to do with the safety and quality of the fuel. Unleaded 88 reduces emissions while saving drivers money at the pump, and we look forward to working with policymakers to ensure it’s permanently available year-round nationwide,” said Richard Syverson, President of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association.

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