Nelson Statement On EPA E15 Announcement

Statement

Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson released the following statement in response to today's announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it will delay its planned December 1st decision on whether to allow ethanol-gasoline blends of up to 15 percent ethanol (E15) in passenger vehicles:

"While I would have preferred the EPA to waive the restriction on E15 today, the announcement is a positive step forward for higher ethanol blends in gasoline. Though I am disappointed in the delay, it's encouraging that the EPA acknowledged the critical role ethanol must play in meeting the national renewable fuels mandate. Ethanol is produced in America, reduces our dependence on foreign sources of energy, and creates jobs.

"Today's announcement shows that the science is behind us. Early tests have shown that E15 is safe for passenger vehicles and compatible with the Clean Air Act and EPA expects similar results in future tests.

"I encourage EPA to move forward as fast as possible to approve E15 and bring certainty to the nation's ethanol producers."

Senator Nelson has been a strong proponent of higher ethanol blends. During the EPA's public comment period earlier this year, Nelson authored a letter in support of E15 in April and joined his colleagues on a letter in support of raising the blend level in July. Nelson also proposed an amendment to the 2010 Interior Appropriations bill which would have set a firm deadline of December 1st for the E15 decision.

Currently the EPA limits ethanol-gasoline blends to 10 percent ethanol (E10). Without moving to a higher blend, ethanol will soon reach a "blend wall" when domestic ethanol production exceeds the demand created by the E10 cap. Additionally, the 2007 Energy bill includes a mandate that 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel be produced and used in the US by 2022. Based on a petition in March from ethanol producers, EPA was due to announce its decision on E15 today, December 1, 2009.

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