Sen. Chuck Grassley says there is still time for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to approve year-round E15 sales nationwide as Americans gear up for peak driving season. Higher-blend gasoline has historically only been sold in the colder seasons due to its high Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) rating, which is a measure of how easily the fuel evaporates. The Biden Administration approved year-round E15 in 2022 to help ease pressure on consumers as fuel prices reached record highs, but Grassley says the EPA has yet to approve a similar rule for 2023.
The EPA is working through a rule change that would allow year-round E15 beginning in 2024, but Grassley says it does not make sense to delay the implementation unnecessarily. One of the biggest challenges facing the transition is infrastructure updates at fueling stations, and Grassley says that is being worked on through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Grassley says he is also working with a bipartisan group of senators from Midwestern states to approve year-round E15 via the legislative process. Grassley made his comments Monday during his weekly Capitol Hill Report.
