February 24, 2024 - BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) issued the below statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a petition, filed by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and other Midwest governors, to permanently authorize year-round E-15 sales. 

“I applaud Governor Reynolds’ persistent advocacy for ethanol producers across the heartland. Those efforts paid off today,” Grassley said. “I’ll be glad to see expanded market opportunities for Iowa farmers, but as of now, that won’t be soon enough. 

“While the EPA was correct to unleash year-round E-15, in typical bureaucratic fashion, it couldn’t help but attach a few strings. Delaying the effective date until 2025 is an unnecessary setback for producers and drivers. The agency has lifted summer E-15 suspensions in the past, and I’ll be pressing them to do the same this season,” Grassley concluded. 

Background 

E-15 is a gasoline blend of 15 percent ethanol. Historically, Clean Air Act provisions have precluded summertime E-15 sales. In 2022, Iowa and seven other corn-producing states filed a petition supporting year-round E-15. The EPA approved the petition today but says the authorization will not go into effect until 2025. 

Grassley is a leading voice for biofuel production and E-15 infrastructure implementation. He has advanced legislation to allow the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10 percent, and has pushed administrations of both political parties to uphold the Renewable Fuel Standard.
Source: Senator Chuck Grassley