Trump orders year-round availability of E15 biofuel

Iowa corn farmers get their wish from President Trump. As a result, E15 will be available year-round at gas pumps in Oklahoma and the rest of the country.

He has ordered the acting EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler to begin lifting the summertime ban on the sale of E15, the gasoline-biofuel blend. The President carried the news personally to Iowa where he spoke at a Council Bluffs rally.

His order will no longer mean biofuel sales will be blocked from the beginning of June through mid-September because the blend does not meet ozone standards laid out in the Clean Air Act.

“Today was a big day—something we’ve worked on for seven years,” said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. “I’m going to go get a bottle of champagne—the oil industry will come up with something else tomorrow, but today was a big step.”

President Trump used the occasion to attack Democrats and endorse Republicans. Stumping for Gov. Kim Reynolds, he said her Democratic challenger and Democrats would kill ethanol according to the Des Moines Register.

“The Dems will end ethanol. You know that—they’re not going to approve ethanol. They will take it away,” he said before a cheering crowd. “You better get out there and vote for Republicans.”

President Trump’s order is seen as a move to boost demand for biofuels such as corn-based ethanol and also increase the fortunes of farmers. His administration will also try to limit speculation in the market for biofuel credits. Refiners across the country have complained that the obscure market is flawed, resulting in price spikes driving up the cost of complying with federal rules and putting financial pressure on small refineries.