Americans in every corner of the country yearn for financial relief.
The cost of living remains high, and according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American household spends more than $77,000 per year on expenses like housing, transportation, groceries and more. Today, the average national price for a gallon of gas is about $3.14, still above pre-pandemic levels, which were less than $3.00 per gallon.
To help provide needed relief, this Congress and Administration can take immediate action to ensure access to affordable fuel at the pump with an American-grown, American-made product.
Produced in the U.S. from corn grown on family farms throughout the country, ethanol is a domestic fuel that withstands economic and global volatility, maintaining low costs for drivers.
Today, nearly every gallon of gasoline sold in the U.S. contains a 10% ethanol blend. Yet higher blends like E15 – fuel blended with 15% ethanol and often labeled as Unleaded 88 – take greater advantage of all of ethanol’s benefits.
Research proves that drivers who have access to E15 and fill up with this fuel save 10-30 cents per gallon.
Beyond consumer savings, ethanol is crucial to advancing our nation’s energy independence and security. In fact, ethanol added 16 billion gallons to the U.S. fuel supply last year.
But red tape prevents year-round, full market access to E15.
Outdated regulatory barriers have prevented the sale of E15 nationwide. Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has once again issued a waiver allowing the sale of E15 during this busy summer driving season, ethanol is more than a short-term fix. This is an energy and economic solution that needs to finally be made permanent.
We know E15 works – the proof is in the savings – and Congress does too. Unfortunately, policymakers failed to include language allowing uninterrupted access to E15 in the April budget resolution, leaving this permanent relief for consumers up in the air.
If our leaders in Washington, D.C. fail to grant this access in the future, not only will drivers pay the price, but corn growers and the communities that rely on them will too.
Expanded ethanol use goes directly back into rural America – supporting rural businesses that rely on a viable agricultural sector and rural schools that rely on property taxes. What’s more, it allows family farmers to maintain and grow their income so they can strengthen their farms, educate their children, pay their bills and invest in their communities.
What’s Next
Consumers, and their wallets, can’t take it anymore – we need definitive action. Passing the bipartisan, bicameral Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act is the clear next step for Congress.
This bill makes permanent the year-round availability of lower-cost, lower-carbon E15 fuel nationwide. Specifically, we want to thank Congressional champions, Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Angie Craig (D-MN) for leading the bill’s introduction earlier this year. Now, their colleagues must show their support.
Many Americans struggle to determine how they will buy a house one day or even afford their groceries for the week. The last thing they need to worry about is the price of gas and whether they can access it too. Policymakers must take action to allow full-market, year-round access to E15 and make a meaningful difference in the lives of Americans.
Kenneth Hartman Jr. is a corn, soybean and wheat farmer from Illinois and the President of the National Corn Growers Association, which represents thousands of corn growers and their interests throughout the country.
Zippy Duvall is the President of the American Farm Bureau Federation and a third-generation farmer from Georgia. Through his leadership, Duvall has helped shape agricultural policies and advocate on behalf of U.S. farmers and ranchers.