Gov. DeWine requests EPA to allow E15 sales year-round

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan asking that the EPA permanently remove restrictions around the sale of 15% ethanol (E15) fuel.

“E15 offers Ohio consumers cleaner emissions, more fuel from renewable sources, and, perhaps most critically, a less expensive fuel option,” DeWine said. “By permanently removing unneeded summertime E15 regulations, we can encourage more Ohio gas stations to offer E15 and give Ohioans an option that provides real gas price relief.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. EPA issued an emergency waiver for 2022, allowing for the sale of E15 during the summer months when environmental regulations typically prohibit its use. Governor DeWine is requesting that the summer waiver become permanent beginning in the summer of 2023.

The Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association is celebrating the action.

“Today was a tremendous day for Ohio fuel consumers and the state’s corn farmers alike,” said Ben Klick, president of the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association. “Governor DeWine’s support of higher blends of ethanol in our fuel supply highlights the importance of choice at the pump. This will reduce the costs while lowering harmful greenhouse gas emissions.”

You can read a copy of the letter here.

“Ohio corn farmers applaud Governor DeWine for asking the U.S. EPA to permanently remove outdated restrictions around the sale of E15 fuel,” said Tadd Nicholson, executive director of the Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association. “With fuel prices at an all-time high, consumers are searching for a more cost-effective, cleaner-burning, and higher-octane fuel.”

Ohio Farm Bureau echoed the commodity’s sentiment, praising the Governor’s action.

“Domestically-produced fuels, like ethanol-blended gasoline, have always been a valuable asset to farmers in Ohio and across the corn belt, as well as a reliable, cost-saving option for consumers. Governor DeWine’s request to allow sales of E15 year-round will continue to save consumers money at the pump when budgets are being stretched thin, all while reducing our country’s dependence on foreign crude oil, increasing farm incomes during these challenging times, and providing good-paying jobs in rural Ohio and America,” said Adam Sharp, executive vice president of Ohio Farm Bureau.