The U.S. House has passed a bill to scrap an EPA rule and allow E15 to be sold year-round in every state.
Congressman Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, said expanded nationwide use of gasoline with a higher blend of ethanol will boost the corn market. “Gridlock in Washington, D.C. has prevented this passage of E15 for over a decade,” Feenstra said during remarks on the House floor this afternoon, “and today we are finally taking action.”
Feenstra noted President Trump promised to sign the bill into law during a speech in Iowa in January. “Farmers, our families and our rural communities deserve this victory,” Feenstra said. “At the beginning of this year I was appointed co-chair to the Rural Domestic Energy Council to find a solution and that’s what we have.”
Congressman Zach Nunn, a Republican from Ankeny who gave the final pro-E15 speech during the hour-long debate, said the move will help Americans struggling with gas prices because E15 is cheaper. “We defeated backroom deals in D.C. to secure this vote that will bring down costs for American families,” Nunn said. “…This is an opportunity for affordability for consumers, certainty for producers and American energy that grows right here in America.”
E15 has been authorized for use in vehicles manufactured after mid-2001, but an EPA regulation says E15 should not be sold during the summer due to smog concerns. Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Ottumwa, said it’s time to remove that “outdated” rule since the EPA has been waiving the rule for part or all of the country since 2011. “This legislation doesn’t mandate E15. It simply gives retailers the option to sell it year-round,” Miller-Meeks said. “The fearmongering and falsehoods being spread about this bill are coming at the expense of America’s farmers, rural communities and the American people.”
Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion said after years of uncertainty, it was time for congress to act. “This is a challenging time for our ag economy and we should be using every single tool available to use to support farmers and our rural communities and this bill does just that,” Hinson said, “driving new demand for American ag products and boosting ag income by $13.8 billion.”
The bill passed the House on a 218-203 vote. Democrats say Iowa’s congressional delegation isn’t leveling with voters about the bill’s chances in the Senate, where it faces opposition from oil state lawmakers. The bill narrows the ability of smaller oil refineries to seek waivers from ethanol blending requirements in the Renewable Fuels Standard. Critics from states like Oklahoma and Wyoming say that will force some refineries to close, leading to job losses and higher fuel prices.