The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday issued an emergency fuel waiver allowing the sale of E15 gasoline nationwide this summer.
E15, or gasoline blended with 15% ethanol, can already be sold year-round in some states. The EPA also issued the waiver on E15 sales last summer.
The EPA’s emergency fuel waiver will go into effect Thursday, when terminal operators would otherwise no longer be able to sell E15 in some areas of the country.
It will initially remain in place through May 20, the maximum number of days allowed under the Clean Air Act. The EPA said it will monitor the supply with industry and federal partners, and it expects to issue new waivers to extend the emergency fuel waiver “until such time as the extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances are no longer present.”
The government currently restricts sales of E15 in summer months due to environmental concerns over smog, though the biofuel industry says those concerns are unfounded, according to a Reuters report.
The waiver will provide families with relief at the pump by increasing fuel supply and ensuring a variety of gasoline fuel blends from which consumers can choose, the EPA said.
The decision was made by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Energy, as a result of ongoing issues with gasoline suppliers, the EPA said.
The EPA is also issuing an emergency fuel waiver for E10, or regular gasoline. In response to requests from the governors of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin, the EPA has waived provisions that would have otherwise made E10 gasoline sold in those states meet a more stringent standard than conventional gasoline in other parts of the country.
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