The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an emergency waiver that will allow the sale of E15 fuel nationwide during summer 2024. The waiver comes two months after the EPA approved a request from the governors of eight Midwest states, including Nebraska, that allows the year-round sale of E15 in the governors’ respective states beginning in 2025.
“We welcome and are thankful for the EPA’s announced emergency waiver,” Nebraska Ethanol Board (NEB) Executive Director Reid Wagner said. “These waivers will ensure consumer access this summer to lower-cost, lower-carbon E15 amidst supply disruptions due to ongoing conflicts overseas.”
E15, a blend of gasoline and 15% ethanol, is safe and approved by the EPA to use in vehicles 2001 or newer and can save consumers about $.10 per gallon compared to E10. In Nebraska, E15 is available at around 110 fueling stations. If our nation moved to a fuel standard of E15, consumers would save $12.2 billion in fuel costs every single year, according to industry expert Growth Energy.
“The decision to issue emergency waivers allowing E15 to be sold this summer dovetails well with the EPA’s recent rule finalizing the petition submitted by Governor Pillen and his colleagues,” Wagner said. “When the governors’ request was approved, questions remained about our options for summer 2024. Today’s waiver answers those questions, and it marks another major step in the achievement of a long-term priority: securing permanent year-round access to E15 for Nebraska drivers.”
