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It’s a win for Indiana’s corn producers and the state’s 15 ethanol production facilities, as the EPA has issued an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15—gasoline blended with 15% ethanol—to be sold during the 2024 summer driving season.
“Probably about 400 million gallons of E15 sales occurred last summer, again, only because this waiver was issued last summer. We would expect similar numbers or even larger numbers this summer,” says Geoff Cooper, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association.
He says the move will not only give a boost to ethanol producers and corn growers, but it will provide drivers with relief at the pump this summer.
Supply issues have been created by the ongoing Ukraine war and conflict in the Middle East. He also says fuel supplies are being impacted by Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries, who have pulled back on their oil production. Plus, Americans are simply using more fuel than ever before.
“So, EPA is looking at all of those factors and using its authority under the Clean Air Act to declare emergency conditions for this summer and effectively waive the volatility requirements for E15.”
Cooper says the E15 waiver will help offset rising gas prices this summer—as more folks hit the roads for vacation.
“That fuel is typically priced 25 to 30 cents below E10. So, drivers that are frequenting those 35-hundred stations that sell E15 today are saving a lot of money when they pull up to the pump.”
The EPA’s emergency waiver follows similar ones that were issued in 2022 and 2023.
Click HERE to find your nearest gas station that offers E15.