Congress Creating Ethanol Task Force After Year-Round E15 Deal Fails

Reuters reported that “Republican U.S. lawmakers plan to create a task force to study potential year-round sales of higher-ethanol E15 gasoline blends in the U.S., after an attempt to pass such legislation in a funding bill this week fell through.”

“Farm groups and Midwest ethanol advocates blasted the decision to form a task force instead of passing legislation, calling it a blow to American farmers already stung by low prices, uncertain global trade, and a lack of clarity over U.S. biofuels policies,” Reuters reported. “Farm interests want year-round sales of E15 – which has higher ethanol content than the E10 now widely available at the pumps. The move would boost demand for corn, ethanol’s primary ingredient. Oil refiners have resisted increased biofuel blending mandates in the past, citing higher costs.”

“E15 sales are currently limited during summer months due to air quality regulations,” Reuters reported. “The compromise deal would establish a so-called ‘E-15 Rural Domestic Energy Council’ to investigate topics including the sale of E15, U.S. refining capacity, biofuel blending credits and other issues and to recommend legislation by mid-February, according to a copy of the draft provision seen by Reuters.”

Ethanol, Farmer Groups Outraged

Agri-Pulse’s Kim Chipman, Oliver Ward, and Lydia Johnson reported that “ethanol industry backers expressed anger and frustration Thursday after House leadership decided to create a study council for biofuel issues rather than including a year-round E15 provision in a fiscal 2026 spending package.”

“‘We are very disappointed that Congress has again failed to adopt a simple technical fix that would have made lower-cost, American-made E15 available to consumers nationwide all year long,’ Renewable Fuels Association President Geoff Cooper said, adding that a compromise deal had been broadly backed by farmers, ethanol makers, large oil refiners and several small ones,” Chipman, Ward and Johnson reported.

“‘Congress picked foreign refiners over American farmers and drivers today. What a travesty,’ said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor,” according to Chipman, Ward and Johnson’s reporting. “‘E15 delivers cost savings for consumers and generates long-term demand for American agriculture. These have been the facts during the 12-year-long debate over the simple act of allowing consumers the choice to buy a better value fuel year-round. Failure to act will now lead to farmers missing out on a critical market during the worst farm crisis in 40 years.'”

Corn growers are disgusted, disappointed and disillusioned that after spending years of calling for passage of E15, Congress has again punted, and it has done so in a spectacularly weak and offensive way…#Unacceptable

Read more: https://t.co/uTVAbmkgpJ pic.twitter.com/CvyWNROp4i

— National Corn (NCGA) (@NationalCorn) January 22, 2026

Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported that “the president of the National Corn Growers Association vented farmers’ frustrations Thursday after learning House leadership not only prevented year-round E15 from being included in a must-pass funding bill, but instead created a council of House members charged with reexamining the Renewable Fuels Standard and helping oil refiners.”

“‘Corn growers are disgusted, disappointed and disillusioned that after spending years of calling for passage of E15, Congress has again punted, and it has done so in a spectacularly weak and offensive way,’ said Jed Bower, president of NCGA and an Ohio farmer,” Clayton reported.

Some Lawmakers Express Optimism

“Still, some Midwest Republicans expressed optimism about the outcome in the House,” Agri-Pulse’s Chipman, Ward and Johnson reported. “Iowa GOP Rep. Zach Nunn, who led the push for the E15 provision, told reporters that the measure’s backers have a ‘firm commitment from the speaker’ to work with the Trump administration ‘to be able to make sure that this is a priority to be able to get done in February.'”

“‘We’ve been working for three years on the farm bill to make this happen, and it’s something that has to pass before March 1, when both growers, blenders and the American public need to have an answer on this,’ said Nunn,” according to Chipman, Ward and Johnson’s reporting.

“Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., called the study council ‘a huge step forward,'” Chipman, Ward and Johnson reported. “‘We’re going to have the House on record that E15 needs to be done by Feb. 25. This is as clear a pathway forward as we have ever had. And this is great news for American energy dominance and for American farmers,’ Johnson told Agri-Pulse.”