Drivers in Nebraska, South Dakota, and 6 other Midwestern states will be able to fuel up with a higher blend of ethanol throughout the year under a rule finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency and taking effect in April of next year.
The end of a summertime ban on sales of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol has been sought for years by the biofuels industry and farming groups with the support of Midwest governors and lawmakers
Ethanol has a huge impact on agricultural income because the fuel additive consumes roughly 40% of the nation’s corn crop. Higher sales of ethanol could mean greater profits for corn farmers.
Nebraska U-S Senator Deb Fischer, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, says the EPA rule announced yesterday is a good step that she appreciates, but she adds that the rule doesn’t go far enough.
Fischer says its “limited geography and needless delay until 2025 still complicates” the sale of E-15l, so she;s still calling for passage of her bill providing “a nationwide, permanent solution for the sale of 15% ethanol that benefits everyone.
Pete Ricketts, Nebraska’s other U-S senator, calls the EPA announcement “a welcome step toward year-round availability of E-15,” but one that needs to be followed by congress passing legislation to allow for its permanent sale nationwide.
Ricketts, who fought hard for E-15 during his 8 years as governor, says “higher blend ethanol saves consumers money at the pump, it makes us more energy independent, and it creates good-paying jobs right here in Nebraska.