WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the statement below after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will approve a request to allow summer month sales of E15 gasoline with high blends of ethanol. The expansion will have an effective date of April 28, 2025. The request was made in 2022 by the governors of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. 

“Using higher ethanol blends in our gasoline is good for our farmers, our economy, and our national security,” said Klobuchar. “The EPA’s approval of summer sales of E15 gasoline in Minnesota and other states is a good first step to accelerate the adoption of ethanol, and I will continue working to expand the year-round use of sustainable fuels across the nation.” 

Klobuchar has long supported legislation to bolster sustainable fuels.

Earlier this month, Klobuchar led a bipartisan group of lawmakers urging the Biden Administration to act quickly to ensure that the model used to determine eligibility for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) tax credits unlocks the potential held by farmers, ethanol producers, and airlines to reduce carbon emissions from aviation. 

In January 2024, Klobuchar, along with Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL.) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced the Farm to Fly Act. This legislation would help accelerate the production and development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) through existing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and allow further growth for alternative fuels to be used in the aviation sector, creating new markets for American farmers.

In June 2023, Klobuchar joined Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) in introducing the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Accuracy Act, comprehensive bipartisan legislation to identify the standards required to meet the definition of SAF at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

In June 2021, Klobuchar announced the introduction of a new package of bipartisan bills to expand the availability of low-carbon renewable fuels, incentivize the use of higher blends of biofuels, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2021, Klobuchar and Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to create a renewable fuel infrastructure grant program and streamline regulatory requirements to help fuel retailers sell higher blends of ethanol.

 

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