Year-Round Access to E-15 Benefits our Families and Farmers:

By U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra

Fuel costs are a consistent and fluctuating part of any family budget, and Americans with lower and fixed incomes face the largest burden when prices spike. 

During the summer of 2022, when drivers had serious sticker shock at the gas pump, the average price of gas eclipsed five dollars nationwide, and states with especially restrictive energy policies, like California and New York, registered average gas prices of $6.40 and $4.90, respectively.

These rapid and, at times, unexpected hikes in gas prices drain wallets and leave Americans with less disposable income to pay bills, contribute to the economy and provide for their families. 

Fortunately, in Iowa, we’ve literally grown the solution to lower gas prices for decades – and it is well past time we turn the key to start the ignition on affordable fuel for families everywhere.

For Americans who have traversed the country by car and traveled across the Midwest, cornfields are everywhere. At first glance, those fields don’t appear to have the potential to lower gas prices, but once harvested, homegrown corn can be converted into ethanol – a liquid fuel – and blended into our nation’s gasoline supply.

Standard gasoline Americans purchase every day is also known as E-10. In other words, the gas we put in our tanks contains 10 percent ethanol. 

The benefits of ethanol blended into our gasoline are multifaceted. It burns cleaner, it’s cheaper, it’s easy on car engines and it’s a major economic boost for America’s farmers. 

An easy way to enhance these benefits and continue to lower gas prices is to up the blend percentage to 15 percent, which we call E-15. It’s common for communities across the Midwest to sell E-15 at gas stations, but in other states, it’s hard to come by. 

For years, misguided federal regulations have prevented this cheaper fuel from being sold year-round across the country. It is well past time to fix this issue with legislation giving freedom to our families to buy the fuel they think is best for them.

According to the Renewable Fuels Association, ethanol – being a pure compound – can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from anywhere between 40 to 50 percent as compared to standard petroleum. 

As it relates to cost, E-15 is also roughly 25 cents cheaper than standard E-10 gasoline, and savings add up on every purchase and over the course of the year. 

Taken together, both the environmental and economic benefits make the case for another policy proposal lawmakers and advocates alike have been pushing for more than a decade – access to E-15 at gas stations nationwide, 365 days a year.

Per Growth Energy, a biofuels advocacy group, permanently making E-15 available at gas pumps nationwide and all year long would equate to almost $21 billion in fuel savings for consumers and return more than $36 billion in income to American consumers. 

This improvement to U.S. energy policy would also generate $66.3 billion for our GDP – strengthening our economy and prioritizing affordability for our families.

It’s clear we can no longer rely on unpredictable and last-minute waivers to ensure this low-cost fuel can be sold year-round. A simple legislative fix like making E-15 available year-round would eliminate uncertainty for our farmers and ethanol producers and deliver relief at the pump for drivers.

Since I was first elected to Congress, I have worked to make year-round access to E-15 nationwide permanent and advocated for increased production of homegrown biofuels. It is a cost-free amendment to existing policy which would be a real victory for families, farmers and rural communities not only in Iowa but also across the country. 

Representing the largest biofuel-producing district in the U.S. House of Representatives, I will continue to work to advance sensible legislation to support our farmers, lower gas prices for our families and secure American energy independence and dominance.

Rep. Randy Feenstra represents Iowa’s Fourth District and serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Agriculture Committee. This opinion column was originally published by AgriPulse on Jan. 17.