IARN — Year-round E15 legislation was a top policy priority for the National Corn Growers Association at last week’s Commodity Classic in New Orleans.
NCGA President Chris Edgington – a farmer from Iowa – tells IARN that his group supports a bill recently introduced by Iowa Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley that would make the E15 fuel blend available year-round. The Homefront Energy Independence Act would institute a permanent ban on Russian oil imports, replacing it with increased biofuels production.
“I saw this morning on a Twitter feed that there is close to a 50-cent spread between E10 and E15 right now in some places,” said Edgington. “That is a big benefit to the consumer. There’s 98% of the vehicles on the road today that can run E15. Everybody could save that 50 cents or 25 cents, it just depends on their location.”
Edgington says the recent all-time record spike in gas prices around the country has led many people to switch over to E15.
“It’s a great opportunity for the consumer to save money there because we all know inflation is here. Last month it was like six or seven percent again and so other things are going up. If we can save a little by using more ethanol, we’re all for it. And you know that we love our product anyway.”
Edgington says marketing of E15 varies by location. Some fueling stations list the blend as E15, while others label it as Unleaded 88.
“Some are using 87, 88, 89, 90 and that approach. Others are saying this is E10, E15, E20, E30, E40 and so on. There’s a little bit of differences by station. If you grab that handle that has just about the cheapest fuel, you are going to be okay.”
Edgington adds the Ernst-Grassley bill would provide a durable, long-term solution.
“We know there is enough vehicles on the roads that can use it. We are going to use E15. We’re going to support every method that we can to try and figure out how to get E15 year-round because we know it’s a great product.”
Edgington spoke to the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network at the 2022 Commodity Classic in New Orleans.
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
Pictured: NCGA President Chris Edgington at the 2022 Commodity Classic in New Orleans. (Photo by Brent Barnett)
