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Sens. Paul, Grassley Introduce Legislation that Would Allow Consumers to Benefit from Lower-Cost E15 Year-Round

JOHNSTON, IOWA – The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) today applauded Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) for introducing S.889, the Fuel Choice and Deregulation Act, that would extend the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 1 psi Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) volatility waiver to E15, just as the Agency has done for E10, allowing E15 to be sold to 2001 and newer vehicles in Iowa year-round.

“We applaud this effort by Sens. Paul and Grassley to remove unnecessary hurdles in federal regulation, and allow consumers to have year-round access to lower-cost E15, the most tested fuel in history,” stated IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “While other elected officials just this week sent letters hoping to restrict consumer choice and pander to petroleum’s near monopoly over the transportation fuel sector, it’s refreshing to see these valiant Senators get serious about building upon the progress we’ve made in air quality and encouraging competition at the pump.”

E15 is a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline that is now available at a significant discount to regular unleaded gasoline at 31 locations in Iowa. E15 is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in all 2001 and newer passenger vehicles, as well as flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). Those vehicles account for 85 percent of fuel use in the United States. Unlike E10, the EPA’s approval of E15 did not include the necessary volatility waiver to allow E15 to be sold as a registered fuel in Iowa during the summer months, therefore summertime volatility restrictions dictate that E15 can only be sold to FFVs from June 1 through September 15.

For more background information, please click here.

For more information on E15, please click here.

Iowa is the nation’s leader in renewable fuels production. Iowa has 43 ethanol refineries capable of producing more than 3.8 billion gallons annually, including 22 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity and one cellulosic ethanol facility currently under construction. In addition, Iowa has 12 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce nearly 315 million gallons annually.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association was formed in 2002 to represent the state’s liquid renewable fuels industry. The trade group fosters the development and growth of the renewable fuels industry in Iowa through education, promotion, legislation and infrastructure development.

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For more information, visit the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website at: www.IowaRFA.org