Washington, D.C. (RI) — Republican Congressman Zach Nunn of Ankeny says there was a last-minute attempt to block Wednesday’s House vote on legislation to allow year-round E15 sales.
The bill ultimately passed, but Nunn says that came after a failed parliamentary move by lawmakers who oppose it.
Over 300 members of the House voted against the attempt to derail the bill, and 218 then voted to pass it.
The policy — now headed to the Senate — would overturn an EPA rule that suspends E15 sales during summer months due to smog concerns. Its path through the House was rocky. The proposal was removed from a spending bill in mid-January, a promised February vote never happened, and the measure was later stripped from the Farm Bill in April.
D.C. reporters posted an argument between Nunn and House Speaker Mike Johnson during that period.
Johnson and Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise allowed a vote on the E15 bill, but both voted against it. Small oil refineries opposed the bill because it narrows their ability to seek waivers from the federal ethanol-blending requirements. The American Petroleum Institute endorsed the bill — a sign, Nunn says, that most refiners supported it.
The bill faces strong opposition in the Senate from lawmakers who say it will hurt refineries in their states.
KIWA Staff Photo
