Sens. Marshall, Fischer, Klobuchar Introduce Year-Round E15 Legislation with Landmark Support

New Bill Has Support from Biofuel & Oil Stakeholders

(Washington, D.C., November 29, 2022) – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. has cosponsored Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Amy Klobuchar’s (D-Minn.), Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2022. The legislation would allow the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10%. Increasing the availability of biofuels like E15 would benefit the economy and the environment. This federal legislation would also end years of regulatory uncertainty and prevent a patchwork of uneven state regulations. Importantly, the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2022 has support from an unprecedented mix of stakeholders, including the National Corn Growers Association, Renewable Fuels of America, Growth Energy, and the American Petroleum Institute.

“America’s biofuels industry provides consumers with a carbon-reducing fuel option at the gas pump. This bipartisan legislation ensures E-15 can be sold at gas stations year-round and guarantees farmers will continue to make the world cleaner, safer, and better for years to come,” said Senator Marshall.

“We’ve long known that unleashing the full power of ethanol saves consumers money at the pump, supports family farmers, and boosts U.S. energy security. Now, however, we’ve been able to bring critical oil/gas, biofuel, ag, and transportation stakeholders to the table around a common-sense solution. With this strong coalition of support, it’s time Congress act to make year-round E15 a reality,” said Senator Fischer. 

“I have long pushed to make E15 available year-round because investing in affordable, readily-available biofuels produced in the U.S. is good for drivers and farmers alike. By ensuring consumers can access E15 gasoline throughout the year, our bipartisan legislation will benefit our economy, decrease prices at the pump, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It’s critical that we diversify our fuel supply and invest in affordable energy solutions. I look forward to working with Senator Fischer to pass this bipartisan bill,” said Senator Klobuchar.

The full list of bill endorsements includes:

Agriculture: National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers Union, the America Farm Bureau Federation, National Sorghum Producers, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

Biofuels: Renewable Fuels of America, Growth Energy, American Coalition for Ethanol

Oil/Natural Gas Sector: American Petroleum Institute

Transportation: SIGMA, National Association of Truck Stop Operators, National Association of Convenience Stores

Click here to read the text of the bill.

Stakeholder Support:

“For the first time in history, ethanol producers, oil refiners, fuel retailers, equipment manufacturers, and farmers have all come together to support legislation that ensures American families can choose lower-cost, lower-carbon E15 at the pump every single day of the year without interruption. We thank Sen. Fischer, Sen. Klobuchar, and other renewable fuel supporters in the Senate for introducing this legislation, which brings much-needed consistency and stability to the marketplace. It provides a simple, straightforward solution that will finally remove a burdensome and nonsensical barrier to broader deployment of cleaner, more affordable fuels. We are highly encouraged by the broad and diverse support that this effort is receiving, and we urge Congress to move quickly to adopt this commonsense legislation,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper.

“Ethanol saves Americans millions of dollars a year at the pump and is a critical part of our nation’s energy security. We thank Sens. Fischer and Klobuchar and their cosponsors for introducing legislation today that will ensure drivers across the country continue to have year-round access to safe, low-cost, low-emission E15 and provides a commonsense resolution to a long-standing outdated barrier to consumer choice,” said National Corn Growers Association President Tom Haag.

“We commend Senator Fischer for championing a legislative solution that brings much-needed consistency and long-term certainty to the marketplace. By allowing for the year-round sale of E15 nationwide while also preserving access to lower ethanol gasoline blends, this bipartisan legislation strengthens the reliability of the fuel supply chain and ensures American consumers have access to the fuels they depend on every day. We urge Congress to recognize the broad and diverse support that this bill has already received and work expeditiously to pass it into law,” said API Vice President of Downstream Policy Will Hupman.

“This summer, in the face of record-high gas prices, drivers across the country found savings at the pump of nearly a dollar per gallon thanks to E15 availability. In addition to putting money back in the pockets of American families and enhancing U.S. energy security and independence, E15 offers a lower-carbon fuel choice. In fact, a nationwide move to E15 would reduce carbon emissions by more than 17.62 million tons, the equivalent of taking 3.85 million cars off the road each year. While last summer’s temporary E15 waiver from the Biden Administration helped show the consumer benefits of E15, a permanent fix is vital to delivering and growing lower-cost, lower-carbon options at the pump and providing certainty to the fuel market. We’re grateful to Senators Fischer, Klobuchar, and other biofuel champions across the country for working with all involved stakeholders to finalize a solution for year-round E15 ahead of the 2023 driving season,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor.

“NFU is thankful our congressional champions, including Senator Fischer and Senator Klobuchar have introduced a legislative fix to the 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 National Farmers Union President Rob Larew.

“AFBF applauds Senators Fischer and Klobuchar 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 American Farm Bureau Federation President, Zippy Duvall.

“We applaud the work of Sens. Fischer and Cramer 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 NATSO, speaking on behalf of NATSO and SIGMA.

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