WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) today led a bipartisan group of their colleagues in asking President Trump to permit the year-round sale of E15 fuel through the summer of 2025 in order to enhance America’s energy security and lower fuel costs for consumers while leveraging American agriculture.
“To meet our nation’s energy needs and decrease the cost of fuel, we must deploy an all-of-the-above energy strategy, which includes leveraging domestic biofuels,” the senators wrote. “As affirmed by the actions you took to first allow year-round E15 in 2019, and those approved for the summers afterward, the sale of higher blends of biofuels like E15 through the summer months supports the domestic fuel supply, reduces consumer costs, and promotes American biofuels and agriculture feedstocks.
“Utilizing American ethanol year-round is a direct solution to reinforcing our energy supply and reducing consumer costs, and the issuance of a nationwide waiver for the 2025 summer driving season is a clear path toward these shared goals,” the senators continued.
The senators’ bipartisan letter requests that President Trump use the nationwide temporary waivers provided under the Clean Air Act to extend the Reid vapor pressure waiver through the 2025 summer driving season.
The letter was also signed by U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).
Full letter below:
Dear President Trump:
We write to request that you again permit the sale of E15 fuel during the 2025 summer driving season by extending the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) waiver, nationwide, from June 1 through September 15. Through nationwide temporary waivers under Clean Air Act Section 211(c)(4)(C)(ii), the year-round sale of E15 has allowed for lower gas prices for consumers and stronger support of domestic biofuels and U.S. agriculture for three consecutive years.
These waivers will allow our domestic energy supply chain to continue to quickly and reliably respond to fuel supply challenges brought on, in part, by the war in Ukraine, which unfortunately continues to weigh on global energy and security. Furthermore, this effort is in line with your executive order “Declaring a National Energy Emergency” that implores Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Zeldin and Department of Energy Secretary Wright to consider issuing these emergency waivers. And finally, this action will give the agriculture economy much needed certainty by increasing the domestic demand for American commodities.
To meet our nation’s energy needs and decrease the cost of fuel, we must deploy an all-of-the-above energy strategy, which includes leveraging domestic biofuels. As affirmed by the actions you took to first allow year-round E15 in 2019, and those approved for the summers afterward, the sale of higher blends of biofuels like E15 through the summer months supports the domestic fuel supply, reduces consumer costs, and promotes American biofuels and agriculture feedstocks.
Currently, the eight Midwestern governors’ petitions to sell E15 year-round has allowed for an agreement between both ethanol and petroleum stakeholders in support of a permanent legislative solution to allow nationwide, year-round E15 sales. In the interim, taking action to permit the sale of E15 nationwide during the 2025 summer driving season also will be beneficial for consumers, the domestic energy industry, and agricultural producers. And to ensure nationwide uniformity in the gasoline market, we urge you to apply the temporary emergency waivers to E15 in all states as well as to E10 in the eight states who petitioned EPA to opt out of the RVP waiver program.
Utilizing American ethanol year-round is a direct solution to reinforcing our energy supply and reducing consumer costs, and the issuance of a nationwide waiver for the 2025 summer driving season is a clear path toward these shared goals. Thank you for your timely consideration of this request.
