WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, Senator John Thune (R-SD) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) led a bipartisan letter to President Trump asking for him to permit the nationwide sale of E-15 gasoline year-round.
Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, applauded a bipartisan letter from 17 U.S. senators urging President Trump to move quickly on a summer waiver allowing uninterrupted sales of lower-cost E15, a fuel blend made with 15% ethanol that can be used in 96% of cars on the road today. The authors noted that preserving access to E15—as outlined in President Trump’s executive order declaring a national energy emergency—will put more American fuel in the marketplace, lower prices at the pump, and protect U.S. farmers.
“Year-round access to E15 can provide American families with immediate relief at the pump, while helping to restore the rural economy,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “It has saved drivers 10 to 30 cents per gallon over the past few summers, and swift action on a summer waiver will ensure that those savings don’t vanish from the marketplace on June 1. We applaud our champions in the Senate for their ongoing efforts to unleash the full power of American biofuels and provide more certain and reliable markets for U.S. farmers.”
The Renewable Fuels Association thanked Senate Majority Leader Thune, Minority Whip Durbin and the bipartisan group of 15 colleagues who called on President Trump to issue waivers permitting the sale of E15 fuel during the upcoming summer months.
“American families need relief at the gas pump, and E15 is a lower-cost fuel blend that can save them money each time they fill their tanks,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “We thank Senators Thune and Durbin and their colleagues for working with the Trump administration to prioritize continued access to E15 during the summer driving season. Not only does year-round E15 help consumers save money, but it keeps an important market open for America’s farmers and ethanol producers. While the action requested by these Senators would help keep E15 flowing this summer, our ultimate objective is for Congress to pass the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act that would permanently authorize year-round E15 nationwide.”
In addition to Thune and Durbin, the letter was signed by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Hoeven (R-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Gary Peters (D-MI), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Tina Smith (D-MN).
“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,” the letter states. “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.”
