WASHINGTON (RFD NEWS) — Year-round E15 sales were front and center before a Senate appropriations subcommittee this week, as lawmakers and biofuel groups continued pushing for permanent nationwide access.
While speaking with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer argued consumers deserve more fuel choices at the pump.
“It is about time to make permanent nationwide year-round E15 because consumers do deserve to have a choice at the gas station and an opportunity to save money,” Fischer said.
Biofuel groups are also hoping Congress can get the measure across the finish line this year.
Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says the path forward in the Senate will likely depend on attaching the legislation to a broader package.
“It likely won’t pass the Senate as a standalone measure, but it will be easier to fold into something that’s moving. And having this bill off to the side and ready to roll into a larger package and unencumbered by the farm bill, we think, gives us a pretty good path forward,” Cooper said.
Ahead of this week’s House vote, sponsors of the legislation held a news conference outside the Capitol to push back against criticism of the bill.
Nebraska Congressman Adrian Smith defended the proposal, saying it would expand consumer choice without creating new mandates.
“Our opponents claim this legislation is an unfunded mandate. No, that’s false. My Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailers Choice Act does not require retailers to sell E15, nor does it force anyone to blend or market a new fuel product,” Smith said.
“Let me be clear. What it does is provide certainty and flexibility for retailers, huge champions of this legislation, by the way, who choose to offer E15 during the remaining three months of the year. It expands consumer choice. It does not impose government mandates,” he added.
Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski also voiced support for the effort.
“I’ve sat down with the family farmers, the ethanol producers, and the small business owners across central and southern Illinois who all understand the same thing—year-round E15 works. It works for our producers, and it works for consumers,” Budzinski said.
Industry estimates indicate that year-round E15 sales could boost corn demand by more than two million bushels annually. Smith has repeatedly called the proposal “smart policy.”
There is currently no timeline for when the Senate may formally take up the legislation.
Kansas Senator Roger Marshall is a longtime supporter of the legislation but warns the Senate fight will not be easy.
“We’ll need all of our agriculture groups engaged here to make sure that it gets across the finish line,” Sen. Marshall said. “There’ll be folks that are trying to jam it, just like they jammed it a couple of months ago. So that would be the number one priority. That would be the number one thing we could do to help the American farmer.”
Of course, year-round sales would benefit corn growers and consumers. Senator Marshall goes on to explain the market impact.
“If you think that in an average year America was exporting maybe two, two-and-a-half billion bushels of corn a year —this would mean an extra two billion bushels of corn consumed — so, it’s almost like doubling your export market,” Marshall said. “Now, I’ve been saying that for a couple of years, but last year we exported like 2.8 billion bushels. We’re expecting a 25% increase in corn exports and ethanol exports as well. So certainly, that is our legislative priority.”
Despite pushback from some oil-state lawmakers, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the bill needs to reach President Trump’s desk as soon as possible.
“Now, of course, it’s up to the Senate to take up this very urgent legislation,” Grassley said. “Congress must take action to boost fuel supply and help rural America in the process. E15 would pump $14 billion into the farm economy. Iowa’s family farmers are counting on the Senate to deliver year-round E15. I’m going to keep fighting until we get this bill to the president’s desk.”
Soybean groups have concerns. The American Soybean Association says the House bill would hurt bean growers and cut farm income through small-refinery exemptions. The group says it still supports year-round E15 access and will keep pushing for a bill that supports both soybean and corn farmers.
Ag groups and industry leaders are celebrating a major step forward for year-round E15 sales after the House passed legislation advancing the policy to the Senate for debate.
Jed Bower, president of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), joined us on Thursday’s Market Day Report to discuss the latest developments surrounding the measure and what comes next.
In his interview with RFD News, Bower discussed his reaction to the bill clearing the House and the challenges the legislation could face as it moves through the Senate. He also addressed opposition from some soybean industry groups and oil organizations, responding to concerns surrounding the policy’s potential impact.
Additionally, Bower spoke about the benefits year-round E15 sales could provide for both farmers and consumers, particularly during a time of economic uncertainty and elevated fuel costs.
The conversation also turned to trade, where Bower shared what he hopes to see come from President Trump’s latest trip, focused on China negotiations. Finally, he provided an update on the progress and conditions of spring planting on his own farming operation in Ohio.
