7 Midwest Governors ask EPA for next steps to ensure year-round E15 continues

In Washington, D.C., a bipartisan group of seven Midwestern governors that lead the nation in the production of low-carbon ethanol sent a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan asking the EPA for guidance on options to ensure retailers are able to sell E15 to consumers all year long without interruption and expressing disappointment by the recent D.C. Circuit Court decision overturning the EPA’s 2019 regulation that finally facilitated year-round sales of E15 in conventional gasoline markets.

The 7 Governors who signed the letter included Democrats and Republicans from Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Their letter states, “It is our understanding that the EPA Administrator has the authority under Section 211(h) of the Clean Air Act to promulgate regulations that would put E10 and E15 on equal footing with regard to volatility limitations, thus re-opening the door to unencumbered, year-round sales of both fuels. While we are not formally submitting the notification required under Section 211(h)(5)(A) today, we do want to express our interest in potentially pursuing this approach. We would like to open a dialogue with the Agency on this issue and we are respectfully requesting your guidance regarding the process for securing an exclusion from the 1-psi ethanol waiver. Specifically, we seek additional detail from EPA on what “supporting documentation” must be furnished by the Governor of a State to support a request for an exclusion from the waiver, along with any other information that the Agency feels would be helpful as we strongly consider pursuing this option.

The full letter can be read here.