The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an emergency waiver yesterday (Wednesday) that authorizes the sale of E15 through the summer. The move solidifies demand in an ag sector that has faced stiff economic headwinds for the past several years due to ongoing international trade disputes, rising input costs, and soft grain markets. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig applauds the move but says, “Our farmers and consumers shouldn’t have to rely on short-term emergency waivers every year. Congress has had multiple chances to provide farmers, biofuel producers, and fuel retailers with the long-term certainty they need by fixing this issue permanently, and they have failed to get it done. It’s long overdue for Congress to finally pass a permanent nationwide fix for year-round E15, which will save Americans money at the pump, support a critical market for farmers, and boost American energy independence.” Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) President Monte Shaw calls the summertime waiver a win, but only a temporary one. He says, “New retailers won’t offer E15 without the certainty they can sell the home-grown fuel all 12 months of the year. Consumers deserve the lower-cost option of E15. Farmers need the added demand from more ethanol use. And our country needs every drop of ethanol possible as the current conflict in the Middle East hits home of the cost of dependence on countries that don’t like us much.” Consumers save an estimated 10 to 30 cents per gallon thanks to biofuels. Ethanol proponents say those savings are always important for the economy, but even more so when the national average for gasoline reached nearly $4 per gallon.
