House Passes Long-Awaited Permanent Year-Round E15 Legislation

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to allow for the year-round sale of E15 blended fuel.

Renewable Fuels Nebraska Executive Director Dawn Caldwell issued the following statement:

“Nebraska Farmers, ethanol producers and American drivers are the big winners today in Washington, D.C., as Congress made real progress towards enshrining year-round E15 into law. Drivers are one step closer towards consistent access to lower cost, high quality fuel, while ethanol plants, fuel retailers, and farmers across Nebraska are on the cusp of enjoying the stability they deserve.”

E15 is a fuel blend containing up to 15 percent ethanol and is approved for use in more than 95 percent of vehicles on the road today. E15 is up to 80 cents per gallon less expensive than regular unleaded gasoline, which saves drivers across the country tens of millions of dollars at the pump each year.

For farmers and ranchers, every one percent increase in the ethanol blend rate boosts demand for corn by about 500 million bushels, which supports family farms and strengthens rural communities. And across the state of Nebraska, the ethanol industry helps deliver more than $6 billion in economic output and supports over 1,800 high-quality, good-paying jobs.

Caldwell also praised Nebraska’s congressional delegation:

“A special thank you to the hardworking members representing Nebraska in Congress. Rep. Adrian Smith has been a tireless advocate for year-round E15 in the House—and we have proof of his leadership today. RFN and its members also appreciate the support of Reps. Mike Flood and Don Bacon in advancing policies that strengthen Nebraska agriculture and biofuels. And RFN and its members look forward to supporting Senators Deb Fischer, who has fought for E15 for years in the Senate, and Pete Ricketts, another good friend of the industry, as the other house of Congress takes up this must-pass legislation.

“Nebraskans deserve for Congress to send year-round E15 legislation to President Trump’s desk this year.”