Senate fight to make year-round E15 sales permanent hangs by a thread

Chuck Grassley on June 16 warned the Senate could let year-round E15 slip away after the House passed it 218-203. Grassley and Sen. Deb Fischer reintroduced bipartisan legislation to authorize permanent, nationwide sales of the 15% ethanol blend, but the chamber still has not cleared the bill.

E15, a blend of up to 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline, generally cannot be sold during the summer driving season from June 1 through September 15 because it does not meet federal Reid vapor pressure requirements under the Clean Air Act. EPA can issue temporary waivers, and in 2026 it granted a fifth consecutive summer waiver to keep sales flowing while Congress argued over a permanent fix.

The political stakes are familiar in farm country and on fuel terminals. Grassley has repeatedly pressed the issue on the Senate floor, and at a June 16 Capitol Hill biofuels event he hosted U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action and cited a new study arguing biofuels could be a “catalyst” for agriculture. Donald Trump on January 27 called on Congress in Iowa to settle the E15 fight for corn farmers, underscoring how the issue has become a recurring test of biofuels politics.

Supporters say permanent E15 would expand demand for corn and ethanol, support rural economies and give drivers a cheaper option. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in March 2026 that E15 was about 25 cents lower per gallon than regular gasoline, a price gap advocates use to press the consumer case for the blend. Industry groups including Growth Energy have kept the push alive as the summer waiver cycle continues to cloud retail planning and fuel blending decisions.

The House vote also exposed the resistance that still exists inside the Republican conference. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said he would vote against the bill, even as the measure cleared the chamber in May. A Congressional Budget Office analysis said the House bill would add billions of dollars to the federal deficit over 10 years, a figure that opponents have used to argue the issue should not be resolved through legislation.

Environmental groups have warned that higher ethanol demand could shift crop allocations, increase consumer costs and worsen climate outcomes. For now, the Senate remains the bottleneck, and year-round E15 still depends on whether lawmakers can turn another temporary waiver into a permanent statute.