As your administration continues to explore strategies to ease rising gasoline prices, we urge you to maximize biofuels to ease the pain at the pump. Biofuels like ethanol should be an essential part of our nation’s solution to reduce our dependence on foreign oil while saving American drivers money along the way, reducing emissions, and supporting rural economies. However, without immediate action to keep lower cost, lower emission biofuels available year-round, like fuel with 15 percent ethanol (E15), these
benefits will be in jeopardy as summer travel begins.
Biofuels like ethanol are renewable, low-carbon fuels which provide significant economic advantages for tens of millions of American consumers. On average, E15 sells for upwards of $0.10 less per gallon compared to conventional gasoline. In fact, shifting standard gasoline blends from 10% ethanol to 15% ethanol would generate $12.2 billion in savings for U.S. consumers at the pump each year.
Today, more than 2,500 gas stations across 31 states are selling higher blends of ethanol like E15, a fuel approved for more than 96 percent of light duty vehicles on the road that also provides American drivers with significant savings. Without immediate action from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), E15 and the price advantages which accompany this fuel are at risk of being pulled from retail stations as early as late spring.
Last week, at a February 4
th press conference, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the
administration “will continue to look at options that can be done to lower gas prices for the American
people.” We believe one of these options should be to allow E15 to be sold year-round. During a time of
high gasoline prices, it is more important than ever that higher blends of biofuels be made available to
consumers year-round. Your administration and EPA must encourage the use of E15 and higher blends of
ethanol by allowing for the year-round sale of these fuels. By removing remaining regulatory hurdles and
providing greater access to E15, you can help keep fuel prices in check for American consumers and ease
concerns about fuel supply.
Thank you for your continued commitment to lowering prices at the pump and we look forward to
helping you reach that goal.
Sincerely,
Emily Skor
CEO, Growth Energy