During a visit to BIO member POET’s bioethanol plant in Menlo, Iowa, yesterday, President Biden announced the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will allow year-round sales of E15—here’s what you need to know.
The announcement: EPA will end summer restrictions on the sale of E15, “the latest step in expanding Americans’ access to affordable fuel supply and bringing relief to Americans suffering from Putin’s Price Hike at the pump,” per the White House. “EPA is also considering additional action to facilitate the use of E15 year-round.”
Why do we need a waiver? “Without this action, E15 cannot be used in most of the country from June 1st to September 15th, and the EPA plans to take final action to issue the emergency waiver closer to June 1st,” continues the White House.
It could help ease gas prices: “E15 is about 10 cents a gallon cheaper than E10, and some gas stations offer an even bigger discount than that,” said President Biden.
“And you simply can’t get to net zero by 2050 without biofuels,” he said. The Biden administration set a goal of zero-carbon aviation by 2050, which will require “billions of gallons of sustainable aviation fuel.”
What about a SAF tax credit? President Biden voiced support, noting "I've proposed a SAF tax credit... to advance cleaner and more sustainable fuels for American aviation."
What’s next: The announcement comes after bipartisan Members of Congress requested the waiver, as we reported. While allowing greater use of E15 is a positive step, BIO has called for additional support for biofuels, including a sustainable aviation fuel tax credit.
What they’re saying: “Every driver should have the freedom to choose a fuel that’s better for their wallet, their health, and the environment,” said Jeff Broin, Founder and CEO of POET. “Plant-based bioethanol is the only liquid fuel that can check all those boxes, and it’s produced by Americans, for Americans, right here in the Heartland.”
Read: ‘Climate change and the war on Ukraine have the same roots: fossil fuels’
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