Rounds Supports Year-Round E-15 Sales

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement regarding the administration’s decision to allow year-round sales of gasoline mixed with 15 percent ethanol, or E-15. In previous years, sales of E-15 were banned annually between June 1 and September 15, which includes the country’s busiest driving months.

“Allowing year-round sales of E-15 will not only increase markets for South Dakota producers, it will increase consumer choice at the pump and keep fuel costs low,” said Rounds. “South Dakota is a leading state in corn ethanol production. As the market for ethanol increases, the market for corn will grow, resulting in more jobs and increased revenue for South Dakota’s corn farmers. At a time when farmers are already struggling due to a decrease in farm income and trade uncertainty, providing year-round sales of E-15 is an opportunity to give our farmers a much-needed boost.”

Rounds, a strong supporter of corn ethanol, has repeatedly called for year-round sales of E-15. At an August 2018 meeting with Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Rounds said “corn ethanol production has created thousands of jobs for South Dakotans and has increased American energy independence—two major goals of this administration.” He is a cosponsor of the Consumer and Fuel Retailers Choice Act, which would extend the Reid vapor pressure waiver and lift the summertime ban on E-15 gasoline. Earlier this year, he joined Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and 16 other senators in a letter to the EPA requesting year-round E-15 sales.

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