(Des Moines, IA) -- Iowans will be able to continue using E15 fuel in their vehicles this year, after a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency. Iowa and seven other states went to battle against the EPA earlier this year to demand the waiver, so that E15 sales would not be interrupted due to a regulatory timing glitch. The EPA has approved year-round E15 sales, starting next year. That action prompted Iowa and the ethanol-producing states to call for a waiver for the rest of 2023.
The higher blend of fuel is cheaper than other fuels available in Iowa. Monte Shaw of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says is rapidly growing in popularity. He says sales of E15 grew by 50 percent in 2022. The fuel is available at about 300 stations across Iowa with many more planning to install the fuel in the future. It is recommended for use in vehicles built in 2001 or after. Shaw says the industry's ultimate goal is that E15 be available to consumers nationwide. Iowa is the nation's leading ethanol producer, followed by Nebraska.
Gov. Kim Reynolds released the following statement in response to the Biden EPA granting Iowa and Midwest states’ request for an emergency waiver for the nationwide, summer sale of E-15:
“I am thrilled that the EPA has granted our request to sell E-15 nationwide this summer. This is a huge win for Iowa farmers and our ethanol industry and proves that even our biggest adversaries can’t ignore the advantage biofuels brings to our country’s economy and national security. Now all Americans will have access to cheaper, cleaner-burning fuel this summer!”
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig released the following statement today after the Biden Administration issued an emergency waiver to allow uninterrupted sales of E15 during the 2023 summer driving season:
“As the nation’s leader in ethanol production and the first state to adopt an E15 standard, Iowans have long recognized the importance of biofuels for reducing costs at the pump, building demand for our corn, creating good jobs in rural Iowa, being a cleaner choice for the environment and making America energy independent. At a time when fuel prices are still too high and the fantasy of foreign-sourced EVs continues to attract far too much focus, E15 remains the lowest-cost and lowest carbon fuel option for over 96 percent of the vehicles on the road today. While I am pleased that the Administration is moving forward with this long overdue waiver, we need permanent year-round access to E15 that removes this year-to-year uncertainty.”