EPA Allows High-Ethanol Blend Of Gasoline Again This Summer

The Environmental Protection Agency is allowing the sale of gasoline containing a higher blend of ethanol for the third summer in a row. The emergency waiver issued Friday will exempt gasoline blended with 15% ethanol from the existing summertime ban. Gasoline with 10% ethanol is already sold nationwide, but the higher blend has been prohibited in the summer because of concerns it could worsen smog during warm weather. EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the waiver was warranted because the war in Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East are putting pressure on the global fuel supply. Ethanol trade groups and elected officials in the Midwestern states where the fuel is produced from corn praised the decision. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds called the decision “a huge victory for Iowa farmers, American energy independence, and consumers.”