RFA Calls on EPA Leader to Address Regulations Hindering E15

A letter sent to the Environmental Protection Agency from the Renewable Fuels Association calls for immediate action on the volatility regulations that hinder the sale and expansion of E15. In the letter to EPA administrator Gina McCarthy, RFA President Bob Dinneen wrote, “EPA’s failure to put E15 and E10 on equal footing with regard to volatility requirements has been a substantial roadblock to broader introduction of E15.”  Because E15 is not granted the same 1 psi Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) volatility waiver that is afforded to E10, most retailers are, according to the letter, faced with the decision every spring to either stop selling E15 during the summer volatility control season, or secure the appropriate low-RVP gasoline blendstock. Dinneen stated, “EPA continues to handicap market opportunities for E15 by effectively making it a seasonal fuel.”

The RFA biggest frustration, Dineen claims, that EPA has no legal or environmental justification for the volatility treat of E10 and E15. Echoing requests submitted to EPA in 2010 and 2012, RFA again called on the Agency to be “consistent in its treatment of RVP requirements for all ethanol blends up to, and including, E15.

Recommended Posts

Loading...