In a blow to corn growers’ hopes that passage of a bill to allow the sale of E15 gasoline nationwide year-round would raise corn prices, the American Petroleum Institute last week told congressional leaders it is now opposed to the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025.
That bill would amend the Clean Air Act to address the limitations on Reid Vapor Pressure (a measure of gasoline’s volatility) that are placed on gasoline during the summer ozone season. Specifically, the bill applies the waiver for Reid Vapor Pressure requirements that is applicable to gasoline blended with 10% ethanol (E10) to gasoline blended with up to 15% ethanol (E15). This change allows gasoline that is blended with 10% to 15% ethanol to be sold year-round.
In a letter to the top leaders in the House and Senate, API President and CEO Mike Sommers said, “Refiners are now navigating shifting federal compliance structures, a patchwork of state mandates, and a biofuels marketplace that is uncertain. Any legislative consideration of year-round E15 should reflect today’s realities and not those of the past. Congress must take a fresh look at how to promote fuel choice without undermining investment certainty or market stability.”
In the letter Sommers said recent changes to federal tax rules, Environmental Protection Agency decisions, and state-level policy reversals have imposed new costs on refiners and disrupted the fuels marketplace.
Sommers added that “any legislative consideration of year-round E15 should reflect today’s realities and not those of prior years. This means adopting a more holistic approach to E15 within a policy framework that considers the needs and challenges of liquid fuels market participants, including those who have made substantial investments in making the RFS function as intended and continue to supply affordable, reliable liquid fuels to American consumers.”
Sommers urged lawmakers to pursue a holistic and balanced approach to E15 that supports consumer choice while maintaining reliable, affordable fuel supply.