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A more permanent year-round E15 fix needed

The CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association says he’s glad to see EPA issue the emergency waiver for E15, but he’d like to see permanent year-round E15 sales.

Geoff Cooper tells Brownfield there’s bipartisan support for a bill in the U.S. Senate that would make that possible.

“Senate Bill 2707, the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, was introduced earlier this year by Senators Deb Fischer from Nebraska, Shelley Capito from West Virginia, Tammy Duckworth from Illinois and Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin.”

Cooper says the bill would also eliminate the need for individual states to petition for year-round E15 and he’s expecting a companion bill to be introduced in the House soon. But he also says lawmakers have a limited window to pass bills this election year.

“There’s really only 45 working days left in this Congress before the elections, days where both chambers are in session. I think it’s going to be a heavy lift, but for the first time, we have the oil industry with us and that gives us some optimism.”

Cooper says the farm bill might also be a place to include the permanent fix for year-round E15.