Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman said Monday he plans to soon take up a five-year farm bill, regardless of delays a similar bill may face in the House. Asked at…
Trump Admin Set To Allow Summer E15 Fuel Sales
Bloomberg’s Jennifer A Dlouhy and Elizabeth Elkin reported that “the Trump administration is preparing to expand the opportunity for sales of higher-ethanol E15 gasoline this summer by waiving the fuel from US volatility requirements, according to people familiar with the matter.”
“The Environmental Protection Agency is set to brief industry stakeholders on the planned approach Wednesday morning, said the people, who asked not to be named before a public announcement,” Dlouhy and Elkin reported. “The move repeats a strategy President Donald Trump used in 2025 — and that was previously employed for three years under former President Joe Biden — to broaden the availability of E15 gasoline in summertime. It also comes as the Trump administration is taking steps to help ease energy costs for consumers amid the Iran war.”
“And it allows the president to deliver a win to an important political constituency — corn farmers, biofuel producers and rural voters — who have pushed for changes allowing year-round E15 sales,” Dlouhy and Elkin reported. “Some industry representatives have lobbied the EPA to clarify its plans for summer sooner, in time for filling stations and fuel distributors to adapt.”
“Under the approach, the EPA would issue emergency fuel waivers temporarily exempting E15 gasoline from volatility restrictions that effectively block warm-weather sales of the fuel in areas where smog is a problem,” Dlouhy and Elkin reported. “Representatives of the EPA, when asked for comment, emphasized the agency’s efforts to restore ‘American energy dominance.'”
Reuters’ Jarrett Renshaw reported that “analysts say the change could shave several cents per gallon off retail prices and provide relief to both consumers and refiners struggling with tight fuel supplies. The U.S. average price for a gallon of regular gasoline recently climbed above $3.97, up sharply from below $3 earlier this year, according to data from AAA. Oil and gasoline prices have surged as the Iran conflict has disrupted global supply. U.S. crude topped $100 a barrel for the first time since the 2022 Russia-Ukraine shock.”
Announcement Expected Wednesday
Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton and Jerry Hagstrom reported that “EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is expected to make announcements on nationwide E15 and E10 on Wednesday at CERAWeek, a major energy conference in Houston. EPA stated the announcements tied to ethanol would ‘boost energy supply and provide cost relief to Americans.'”
“On Tuesday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, wrote President Donald Trump calling on him to make E15 available before the summer driving season to help reduce rising domestic fuel prices,” Clayton and Hagstrom reported. “Klobuchar also asked for Trump’s support for legislation that would permanently authorize year-round E15. Trump has made that point, including comments he made on E15 during a visit to Iowa in January.”
“EPA stated Zeldin’s announcement at CERAWeek is not tied to Renewable Fuel Standard rulemaking,” Clayton and Hagstrom reported.
Biofuels Blending Requirements Also Expected by End of Month
Bloomberg’s Elizabeth Elkin reported that “the Trump administration is ‘moving at warp speed’ to get out biofuels blending standards, with an announcement coming ‘sooner rather than later,’ according to US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.”
“‘We have been in a lot of meetings ensuring that our agriculture community is frankly put first and farm security is national security,’ Rollins said in an interview at the US Department of Agriculture,” according to Elkin’s reporting. “‘The president has been resolute on that since day one and certainly has not taken his foot off the gas pedal.'”
NEWS: Trump administration will release biofuel quotas 2026/27 this week, some time before Friday’s farm event at WH, sources tell me. The quotas have not been materially changed by Iran war price spike concerns, I’m told.
— Jarrett Renshaw (@JarrettRenshaw) March 24, 2026
“Companies have been anxiously awaiting a decision on long-delayed guidance on mandates for mixing renewable fuels with gasoline and diesel. A lack of clarity on the so-called Renewable Fuel Standard has weighed on the agriculture and biofuel industries,” Elkin reported. “Increased use of renewable fuels is expected to boost demand for feedstocks like corn and soybeans at a time when farmers are facing weak crop prices and high input costs.”
“‘We feel very good’ that the biofuels guidance will be out soon, Rollins said after an event where the agency announced a campaign to promote transparency in labeling of agricultural products,” Elkin reported. “Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin said at a conference Monday that a decision would come by the end of the month.”
