RFA urges EPA to finalize approval of South Dakota, 7 other Midwest governors’ E15 RVP Petition

In a letter sent Aug. 1, 2023, to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, the Renewable Fuels Association urged the agency to quickly finalize its regulations accepting the petition of eight Midwest governors— including South Dakota’s– that would reduce evaporative emissions and allow summertime sales of the lower-cost, lower-carbon E15 fuel blend in their states.

RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper noted in the letter that the statutory deadline for approving the petition was more than one year ago, and the public has expressed strong support for finalizing approval of the petition. The association called on EPA to finalize the rule before the end of this summer.

“Three months have passed since EPA’s public comment period ended, and more than a year has passed since EPA’s statutory deadline to promulgate a final rule approving the Governors’ petition,” Cooper wrote. “And yet, despite strong public support for EPA’s proposal, the agency still has not finalized the rule or publicly provided a schedule for doing so. With the summer 2024 ozone control season just nine months away, we urge EPA to publish the final rule approving the Governors’ petition as soon as possible.”

After review of the modeling results presented by the governors in their requests, EPA is proposing to remove the 1-psi waiver in the following states: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

RFA’s letter included an analysis of real-world retail gasoline price data that shows virtually no difference between retail prices for lower-volatility gasoline and conventional gasoline in adjacent markets where the two different types of gasoline were being sold during the summer 2022 ozone control season. In fact, Cooper wrote, in several of the markets examined, lower-volatility gasoline was less expensive than higher-volatility conventional gasoline.

“Along with previous studies already submitted to EPA, this empirical data helps to debunk the exaggerated claims from some petroleum refiners and pipeline companies regarding the economic impacts of the Governors’ petition,” Cooper wrote.

Click here for RFA’s formal comments on the governors’ petition, filed in April. Click here for an analysis of E15 price trends from April, showing clear savings to consumers.