WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Growth Energy issued a statement following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement it will open rulemaking regarding E15 fuel dispenser labeling and compatibility with underground storage tanks, and request comment on petitions for a waiver of the 2019 and 2020 Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS). In the proposed E15 rule, EPA offered two paths forward on E15 labeling at the pump, while proposing ways the administration can further remove infrastructure barriers.
“We are pleased to see this first step toward removing onerous labeling and underground tank requirements and expanding access to E15 for American drivers,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “With 95 percent of vehicles approved for E15 and over 18 billion miles driven on the fuel, the best outcome for this rulemaking is to remove the label entirely. As the rulemaking process advances, we look forward to working with the incoming Biden Administration to ensure that the final rule addresses any remaining retail and infrastructure barriers that currently hold back cleaner, more affordable options at the fuel pump.”
“Despite this potential progress on E15, important work remains to defeat the offensive attempt by refiners to avoid their biofuel blending obligations through general waivers. Given President-elect Biden’s commitments on the campaign trail, we‘re confident his incoming team will uphold the integrity of the RFS and reject these oil-backed waiver requests before rural recovery is derailed. We’ve seen the courts reject this kind of abuse before and urge the incoming administration to ensure refiners meet their blending obligations.”