Overview
- Republican leaders pledged a May vote to lift summer limits on E15 after negotiations stalled the farm bill debate, and Corn Belt lawmakers led by Sen. Chuck Grassley pressed for action.
- The Environmental Protection Agency has a short-term waiver in place for early May that allows nationwide sales of E15 to boost supply and temper prices.
- At the center of the fight is Amendment 289 to the Farm Bill, which would authorize year-round sales of E15—gasoline with up to 15 percent ethanol—and tighten small-refinery waivers under the Renewable Fuel Standard.
- The Congressional Budget Office told lawmakers the change would add single-digit billions of dollars to the farm bill’s 10-year cost, intensifying resistance from some members.
- The proposal has divided the fuel sector as the American Petroleum Institute and farm groups rally behind it, while a small-refinery coalition warns of potential closures, higher consumer costs, and local job losses; studies also flag smog and older-vehicle compatibility risks with higher ethanol blends.