Push continues for year-round E15 biofuel

The push for year-round E15 biofuel is ongoing, despite President Donald Trump’s announcement in October that it would be available.Kelly Nieuwenhuis, a corn grower near Primghar and member of multiple corn and ethanol boards, said they are working to ensure E15 is available for vehicles on June 1. “We will continue to put pressure on the administration to keep it rolling,” he said. “The EPA said they would start the process in February. Sen. Chuck Grassley said there is no reason for them to drag their feet. They could get this done sooner. Why wait?”The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to release a proposed rule on making E15 a year-round product in February and deliberate the process until May. This does not leave a lot of time for retailers to install E15 infrastructure, E15 supporters argue. Nieuwenhuis said the larger companies, with numerous gas stations, spend $250,000-$500,000 whenever they have to go through and relabel the E15 pumps.