Biden wants to end an unpopular fuel ban in eight agricultural states

The Biden administration will permanently lift a ban on summer sales of gasoline blends with higher ethanol content in eight states starting in 2025, responding to a request from Midwestern governors who want year-round sales of the corn-based fuel.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s election-year decision comes after the governors of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Kansas and North and South Dakota wrote to President Biden that the summer ban on gasoline mixed with ethanol, also known as E15, is causing economic damage in their states and has little environmental benefit. Minnesota and Wisconsin are important swing states in the upcoming presidential elections.

Ethanol is made from corn and other crops and has been blended into some types of gasoline for years to reduce dependence on oil. Although the mixture releases fewer greenhouse gases when burned than regular gasoline, it can contribute to smog in warmer weather, and since 2011 there has been a ban on the sale of this fuel in summer.

Agriculture groups and state lawmakers have long pushed to end the ban, while environmental groups have stressed the importance of keeping the ban in place. Oil producers and refiners have also supported the ban, saying ethanol reduces gasoline consumption.

Both the Democratic and Republican administrations have granted one-time waivers that allow E15 to be sold in the summer. Mr. Biden allowed sales in 2022, as did former President Donald J. Trump in 2019.

In permanently lifting the summer ban in the eight states, the EPA first required states to demonstrate that this measure would not result in an increase in smog.

In a statement, an EPA spokesperson said these assessments concluded that lifting the summer ban would actually lead to a small decrease in some emissions that cause smog.

“Overall, the emissions implications of this change are small,” agency spokesman Nick Conger said.

Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, praised the move. “Using higher ethanol blends in our gasoline is good for our farmers, our economy and our national security,” she said. “I will continue to work to expand the use of sustainable fuels year-round across the country.”

The ethanol industry also welcomed the change, although some complained that implementation would happen in 2025 instead of this summer as governors requested.

“Why should ethanol producers, farmers, fuel retailers and consumers in these states be punished for the EPA’s foot-dragging and failure to meet a clear deadline?” said Geoff Cooper, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, which lobbies for ethanol producers in Washington.

Oil companies also criticized the measure. “We are concerned that this piecemeal approach could weaken the resilience of the region’s fuel supply chain,” said Will Hupman, vice president of the American Petroleum Institute, which represents oil companies.

Oil refineries are required to blend some ethanol into gasoline under a pair of laws, passed in 2005 and 2007, intended to reduce oil use and related greenhouse gases. But the mandate has been criticized for contributing to higher fuel prices and doing little to reduce greenhouse gases that are warming the planet.