Washington DC — The US House Biofuels Caucus is introducing legislation to make it clear the EPA has the authority to allow year-round sales of E-15 and higher blends of ethanol.
The bill would overturn a recent federal circuit court ruling that the EPA didn’t have the power to take that step. Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines is co-chair of the House Biofuels Caucus.
The other Iowans serving in the U-S House — Ashley Hinson of Marion, Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa and Randy Feenstra of Hull — have signed onto the bill as co-sponsors. Axne says adverse court rulings, like the one earlier this month that derailed year-round E-15 sales, are based on information about ethanol that’s four decades old.
Axne cites a recent study which found using ethanol in a vehicle cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent and biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent.
Automakers have been announcing plans to produce more electric vehicles, with G-M planning to have 40 percent of its models be electric by 2025 and Ford aiming to offer electric versions of all its models by 2030. Axne says the conversion to electric vehicles isn’t happening overnight and the biofuels industry is the best way — now — to address air quality concerns in gas-powered vehicles.
Congressman Feenstra says selling E-15 year-round not only benefits farmers and the ethanol industry, it gives consumers a more affordable option at the gas station and is the cleanest form of liquid fuel on the market.
