The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two actions that together will permit gasoline containing up to 15 percent ethanol (E15) to be sold in all markets throughout the summer driving season and avoid disparate fuel specifications from state to state.
EPA鈥檚 first action was to issue an emergency waiver permitting E15 to be sold in all gasoline markets throughout the country. Federal law currently prohibits the sale of low-volatility gasoline during the summer months, but EPA has the authority to temporarily waive the requirements in emergency circumstances to address fuel shortages.
In response to ongoing fuel supply disruptions, EPA has utilized that authority for the last several years and permitted summertime E15 sales nationwide. EPA is now taking this same action for the 2025 summer driving season, citing 鈥渙ngoing issues with gasoline supplies鈥� in its decision to grant the waiver. EPA鈥檚 emergency fuel waiver will go into effect on May 1, 2025, and EPA has indicated it will renew the waiver throughout the summer driving season.
In its second action on April 28, 2025, EPA granted a request by seven Midwestern governors that would effectively allow those states a one-year reprieve from the consequences of their 2023 request to EPA that they be permitted to 鈥渙pt out鈥� of federal Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) rules. By seeking to opt out, those states seemingly intended to require lower RVP CBOB in order to accommodate E15 and E10 blending without running afoul of federal RVP restrictions. By granting the petition, EPA is essentially allowing those states to continue accommodating traditional summertime blendstocks for both E10 and E15 blends.
鈥淲e support the Environmental Protection Agency鈥檚 decisive actions today to both keep fuel prices low for American consumers while improving emissions from those fuels,鈥� 麻豆色播 said in response to today鈥檚 actions. 鈥淭he EPA inherited a challenging political conundrum from their predecessors on this one, and they soundly navigated it over the last several weeks to arrive at an elegant solution that is good for fuel retailers and their customers.鈥�
Despite EPA鈥檚 use of its waiver authority in recent years, Congress has, for political reasons, been unable to fix the underlying restriction on E15 sales in many parts of the country due to a flawed, outdated federal law. 麻豆色播 continues to advocate for legislation that would provide a permanent, national solution to year-round E15 sales.
Subscribe to Updates
The 麻豆色播 Foundation and 麻豆色播 provide a breadth of information created to strengthen travel plazas鈥� ability to meet the needs of the traveling public in an age of disruption. This includes knowledge filled blog posts, articles and publications. If you would like to receive a digest of blog post and articles directly in your inbox, please provide your name, email and the frequency of the updates you want to receive the email digest.
