DES MOINES – A federal appellate court threw out a rule designed to allow year-round sales of Ethanol E-15, a vital component for Ethanol makers and corn growers in states like Iowa.
Gov. Kim Reynolds released the following statement after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a ruling regarding the year-round sale of E-15:
“Iowa proudly leads the country in the production of renewable fuels, and today’s ruling is a gut punch to not only our renewable fuel industry but our fuel retailers as well. I worked closely with the Trump Administration to secure year-round sales of E-15, and I disagree with today’s court decision. We will continue to stand up for renewable fuels and fuel retailers, and pursue every avenue to ensure they can continue to offer lower cost, cleaner burning E-15 to Iowans.”
According to the Renewable Fuels Association, “The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a 2019 rule by the Environmental Protection Agency that lifted outdated restrictions on the sale of a fifteen percent ethanol fuel blend (E15). The case, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, et al. vs. EPA, was a challenge by oil refiners to the rulemaking that allowed the year-round sale of E15.”
RFA, Growth Energy and the National Corn Growers Association were intervenors on behalf of EPA in the case and issued a joint statement expressing disappointment in the court’s ruling:
“We disagree with the court’s decision to reject EPA’s move to expand the RVP waiver to include E15, a decision that could deprive American drivers of lower-carbon options at the pump and would result in more carbon in the atmosphere.
“We are working to ensure the continuity of E15 sales through the 2021 summer season and beyond. This decision could impact summertime sales across all non-RFG areas where nearly two-thirds of retail sites offering E15 currently do business. If E15 in those markets were to end, summertime E15 sales would fall by 90%.”
