EPA waives restrictions on higher-ethanol gasoline for second straight summer
Jeremy Beaman
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The Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency nationwide waiver on Friday designed to expand the sale of ethanol-blended gasoline and lower retail fuel prices during the summer driving season.
It’s the second straight summer that EPA has extended the waiver for E15 gasoline, fuel blended with 15% ethanol, and represents a win for biofuels interests and Midwestern lawmakers of both parties who have sought to lift E15 restrictions permanently.
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Current regulations restrict sales of E15 between June and September to limit emissions of smog-causing volatile organic compounds, although some cities are exempt from the rules.
EPA said the waiver would help to protect drivers from fuel supply crises by reducing the nation’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and would improve U.S. energy independence, as well as support American agriculture and manufacturing.
“Allowing E15 sales during the summer driving season will not only help increase fuel supply, but support American farmers, strengthen U.S. energy security, and provide relief to drivers across the country,” Administrator Michael Regan said.
The agency estimated E15 is about 25 cents a gallon cheaper than E10, the most common blend of gasoline on the market, although the vast majority of the nation’s retail stations do not carry the fuel.
The Biden administration turned to E15 last April as part of its strategy to reduce high fuel prices, which were rising on higher oil prices after Russia invaded Ukraine.
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Gasoline prices have fallen from their summer 2022 record peak but remain high, averaging $3.63 per gallon as of Friday, according to AAA.