WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, spoke on the Senate Floor this week about the value of unleashing year-round E15, which can lower prices for consumers at the pump, help our family farmers, and boost American energy security.

This month, Sen. Fischer reintroduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, which would allow the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10%.

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Following is a transcript of Senator Fischer’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

M. President,

My colleagues and I are here today to discuss the importance of unleashing American energy.

Especially during a time of international turmoil, we in the United States need to ensure that we reduce our dependence on unstable foreign countries for our energy.

But right now, a tangled web of unnecessary regulations is holding our nation back from an all-of-the-above energy agenda that would benefit consumers, producers, and our national security.

One example of what’s holding us back is outdated regulation of E15.

E15 is a biofuel blend of gasoline with 15 percent ethanol. This critical fuel mix is proven to lower gas prices for consumers at the pump.

One study found that the average price of E15 during last year’s summer driving season was 16 cents less per gallon than regular unleaded gas. As any driver can tell you after years of escalating gas prices under the Biden administration, that savings adds up quickly.

Consumers want the lower fuel prices of E15 — and retailers know it. That’s why the number of retailers offering E15 has more than doubled since 2017, rising from 1,200 to 2,700.

E15 boosts our domestic energy security. Our country is blessed with ample natural resources, and we should take advantage of them — including ethanol. Use of E15 unleashes American energy here at home, dealing a blow to our dependence on foreign oil.

And ethanol’s good for the environment too. Emissions from ethanol are 46 percent lower than from traditional gasoline. One study found that corn ethanol contributed to a reduction of 500 million tons in emissions between 2005 and 2019.

So why not make use of E15?

This issue is important to my state of Nebraska. Nebraska is the second largest producer of biofuels in the nation, generating over two billion gallons of renewable fuel each year.

Well, overly restrictive regulations are threatening to rob consumers of that choice.

One outdated law needlessly restricts the sale of E15 during the summer months.

The regulation restricting E15 is based on a measure called “Reid Vapor Pressure,” or RVP, which measures the volatility of certain gasoline blends. The irony is that E15 actually has a lower RVP than E10, which is less restricted.

Ultimately, this outdated law doesn’t make much sense. And it harms consumers.

Our state’s 24 operating ethanol plants have created almost 1,500 good-paying jobs.

Family farmers in Nebraska use biofuels like E15 to help fuel the rest of the country.

For the sake of those Nebraskans, as well as the average American at the pump, I’ve been leading the charge for years to end the legal limbo around E15.

This month, I reintroduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, which would allow for the year-round, nationwide sale of E15.

Eight different states have made admirable strides to allow the sale of E15 in their regions, but these efforts can only result in a patchwork of uneven regulations across the country — leaving many families without access to cheaper E15.

The EPA could also take emergency action to allow E15 sales this summer. But that would only be a temporary solution.

We need a permanent, nationwide solution, and that’s what my bill provides.

This bill’s the opposite of a mandate — it puts consumers in the driver’s seat by providing them with the completely voluntary option to take advantage of E15 and its benefits.

We’ve worked hard to build a diverse, bipartisan coalition of support for the bill. The nation’s largest oil and natural gas trade association, the American Petroleum Institute, is one of our bill’s most notable supporters.

It’s time that Congress joins together to pass legislation that truly advances an all-of-the-above energy solution that ensures Americans’ access to lower-cost E15 fuel.

All of my colleagues should support more choices for lower-cost fuel, especially as our country reels from high inflation.

The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act provides families with the choice to purchase and retailers with the choice to sell E15.

That’s a major win for family farmers, consumers at the pump, and American energy security.

Thank you. I yield the floor. 

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