WASHINGTON, D.C.(Press Release) – On Thursday, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Biofuels Caucus co-chairs, and twenty-two other members urged the Biden Administration to allow drivers the option to choose the cleaner, cheaper E15 fuel during the summer driving season. Allowing more renewable fuels options at the pump will lower fuel prices, which have increased over 50% since President Biden took office.

“Home-grown, American biofuels are a straightforward, no-cost solution that strengthen our nation’s energy infrastructure, support our farmers, and reduce consumer costs. We request you expeditiously grant this emergency waiver for 2024,” the Members wrote. “Extending the nationwide sale of E15 can again bolster our nation’s energy resilience by adding billions of gallons of ethanol to the nation’s fuel supply at a time when domestic inventories of crude oil and petroleum products are at their lowest point in almost twenty years.”

The letter urges President Biden to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow the sale of E15 fuel during the summer months (June 1-September 15, 2024). While the year-round sale of E15 will be permissible in some states beginning in 2025, currently, the sale of E15 in South Dakota and other states will be prohibited beginning on June 1, 2024 due to a D.C. Circuit Court decision on the Clean Air Act in July of 2021.

“The planet benefits and consumers save money when they can fill up their cars with E15. In the absence of a federal legislative fix, we need EPA to act now to provide an emergency waiver, so that retailers have enough time to ensure their supplies of this more affordable, earth-friendly fuel won’t be interrupted this summer. We thank Representatives Craig, Smith, Pocan, and Johnson for leading the charge on this critical issue, and hope this letter spurs the EPA into taking action on behalf of American drivers,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy.

“We thank Reps. Johnson, Smith, Craig, and Pocan along with a group of bipartisan House members for calling on the Biden Administration to quickly take action to allow the nationwide sale of E15 through the coming summer,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “These Representatives understand that with current fuel supplies lower than the last two summer driving seasons and the market pressures of ongoing geopolitical conflicts, it is imperative that consumers have access to this American made supply of lower-cost, cleaner fuel.”

Read the full letter here.