(NDAgConnection.com) – Tuesday, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2022. The legislation would allow the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10%. Increasing the availability of biofuels like E15 would benefit the economy and the environment. This federal legislation would also end years of regulatory uncertainty and prevent a patchwork of uneven state regulations.
Importantly, the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2022 has support from an unprecedented mix of stakeholders, including the National Corn Growers Association, Renewable Fuels of America, Growth Energy, and the American Petroleum Institute.
Additional cosponsors of the bill include U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.).
“We’ve long known that unleashing the full power of ethanol saves consumers money at the pump, supports family farmers, and boosts U.S. energy security. Now, however, we’ve been able to bring critical oil/gas, biofuel, ag, and transportation stakeholders to the table around a common-sense solution. With this strong coalition of support, it’s time Congress act to make year-round E15 a reality,” said Fischer.
Other bill endorsements include:
Agriculture: National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers Union, the America Farm Bureau Federation, National Sorghum Producers, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
Biofuels: Renewable Fuels of America, Growth Energy, American Coalition for Ethanol
Oil/Natural Gas Sector: American Petroleum Institute
Transportation: SIGMA, National Association of Truck Stop Operators, National Association of Convenience Stores
“Renewable Fuels Nebraska is thrilled beyond measure to have Senator Fischer introduce this important legislation. With its passage, we will not only eliminate burdensome summer regulations for fuel retailer and distributors; we will create consistency of fuel choice for consumers and reliability of market for Nebraska’s corn farmers, as well as continued access to distillers grains for beef and dairy producers. Nebraska’s ethanol plants are a critical sector of our state’s economy with an annual economic impact of over $4.5 billion,” said Nebraska Renewable Fuels Executive Director Dawn Caldwell.
“Nebraska’s ethanol industry is a key component of our state’s agricultural and overall economies. Allowing for the nationwide sale of E-15 year-round is long overdue. The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act forces common sense regulatory changes that will allow American consumers the opportunity to purchase higher blends of ethanol at any time during the year. Sen. Fischer’s steadfast leadership on this issue, one which is so vital to the future growth of the ethanol industry, brought both the ethanol and petroleum industries together in support of this legislation. It is because of her long-time support and determination we are hopeful the Consumer Fuel and Retailer Choice Act finally becomes law,” said Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation President Mark McHargue.
“Nebraska Corn Growers Association thanks Senator Fischer for leading the efforts to allow year-round sales of E15. Allowing year-round access to E-15 reduces the cost for consumers, leads to cleaner air and paves the way for longer term opportunities for the Next Generation Fuels Act,” said Nebraska Corn Growers Association President Andy Jobman.
“Nebraska Farmers Union applauds Senator Fischer’s efforts to resolve a longstanding technical issue of conflict between ethanol supporters and the petroleum industry with the introduction of her amendment to the Clean Air Act. Sen. Fischer’s compromise enjoys support from both the ethanol and petroleum sectors and will produce a national solution that will allow E-15 and higher blend ethanol products to be sold year around. The result of this long overdue compromise will lower fuel prices, carbon dioxide and cancer-causing tailpipe emissions, support family farmers, corn producers, and rural communities while dramatically improving air quality. House and Senate passage of Sen. Fischer’s legislation would be welcome economic shot in the arm for rural America and all fuel users,” said Nebraska Farmers Union President John Hansen.
“For the first time in history, ethanol producers, oil refiners, fuel retailers, equipment manufacturers, and farmers have all come together to support legislation that ensures American families can choose lower-cost, lower-carbon E15 at the pump every single day of the year without interruption. We thank Sen. Fischer, Sen. Klobuchar, and other renewable fuel supporters in the Senate for introducing this legislation, which brings much-needed consistency and stability to the marketplace. It provides a simple, straightforward solution that will finally remove a burdensome and nonsensical barrier to broader deployment of cleaner, more affordable fuels. We are highly encouraged by the broad and diverse support that this effort is receiving, and we urge Congress to move quickly to adopt this commonsense legislation,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper.
“Ethanol saves Americans millions of dollars a year at the pump and is a critical part of our nation’s energy security. We thank Sens. Fischer and Klobuchar and their cosponsors for introducing legislation today that will ensure drivers across the country continue to have year-round access to safe, low-cost, low-emission E15 and provides a commonsense resolution to a long-standing outdated barrier to consumer choice,” said National Corn Growers Association President Tom Haag.
“We commend Senator Fischer for championing a legislative solution that brings much-needed consistency and long-term certainty to the marketplace. By allowing for the year-round sale of E15 nationwide while also preserving access to lower ethanol gasoline blends, this bipartisan legislation strengthens the reliability of the fuel supply chain and ensures American consumers have access to the fuels they depend on every day. We urge Congress to recognize the broad and diverse support that this bill has already received and work expeditiously to pass it into law,” said API Vice President of Downstream Policy Will Hupman.
“This summer, in the face of record-high gas prices, drivers across the country found savings at the pump of nearly a dollar per gallon thanks to E15 availability. In addition to putting money back in the pockets of American families and enhancing U.S. energy security and independence, E15 offers a lower-carbon fuel choice. In fact, a nationwide move to E15 would reduce carbon emissions by more than 17.62 million tons, the equivalent of taking 3.85 million cars off the road each year. While last summer’s temporary E15 waiver from the Biden Administration helped show the consumer benefits of E15, a permanent fix is vital to delivering and growing lower-cost, lower-carbon options at the pump and providing certainty to the fuel market. We’re grateful to Senators Fischer, Klobuchar, and other biofuel champions across the country for working with all involved stakeholders to finalize a solution for year-round E15 ahead of the 2023 driving season,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor.