LINCOLN, NEB. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released the following statement after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacated a rule extending the sale of 15 percent ethanol blends year-round:

“Today’s ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court is a blow to rural America. I have long fought for year-round E-15 sales, which provides certainty and predictability for farmers and ethanol producers and gives consumers more choices at the pump. I will continue to put pressure on the EPA and pursue legislative avenues if necessary to preserve the year-round sales of E-15.”

Senator Fischer has long been an advocate for the year-round sale of E-15 and was the lead sponsor of the bipartisan Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act. It would have allowed retailers across the country to sell E-15 and other higher-ethanol/gasoline fuel blends year-round, increasing regulatory certainty and eliminating confusion at the pump. In June 2019, Senator Fischer accompanied then-President Trump and EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler for the official announcement of year-round E-15 Sales in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Nebraska is ranked second in the nation in biofuel production and has 25 operating ethanol plants across the state. These plants produce more than 2 billion gallons of renewable fuel annually and have created more than 1,300 good-paying jobs.