Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
U.S. nearing policy tweak on gasoline
Sources: Ban on higher ethanol blends to end
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is set to announce a policy change allowing year-round sales of gasoline with higher ethanol blends, a move that could bolster Midwest Republicans in election contests and appease corn farmers battered by agricultural tariffs, according to people briefed on the planned announcement.
President Donald Trump is slated to unveil the new policy in coming weeks, possibly in Iowa, where farmers, biofuel producers and politicians have been clamoring for the move that’s likely to expand the U.S. market for corn-based ethanol. Administration officials have confirmed the policy change is coming, said the people, who asked not to be named since the policy hasn’t been made public.
At issue are summertime restrictions on so-called E15 gasoline, which contains 15 percent ethanol. Current rules block its sale from June 1 to Sept. 15 in areas where smog is a problem. Most gasoline that is sold nationwide — the common 10 percent ethanol blend known as E10 — is waived from federal vapor-pressure requirements, allowing it to be sold year-round. The same exemption has not been granted to E15.
About 1,430 filling stations sell E15 in the U.S. now, according to industry data. By comparison, there are more than 122,000 stations in the country.
Ethanol advocates say the hassle and cost of changing gas pumps and labels seasonally has dissuaded some filling stations from offering the fuel. They argue that lifting summertime restrictions on the sale of E15 will spur more offerings, expanding the U.S. market for the biofuel. Ethanol currently makes up about 10 percent of America’s 143 billion gallon gasoline market.