SIOUX FALLS, SD (April 28, 2023) – Today, POET applauded President Joe Biden and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan for extending summer access to E15, made with 15 percent plant-based bioethanol. The announcement, mirroring one made by the president at POET Bioprocessing – Menlo, Iowa, in 2022, marks the second time the Biden EPA has lifted nonsensical seasonal restrictions on the cleaner, cost-saving biofuel blend.

“The Biden administration’s decision will keep E15 flowing when Americans need it most,” said POET Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs Joshua Shields. “With tight fuel supplies, rising prices, and poor air quality looming this summer, continued access to E15 puts a cleaner and more affordable fuel option within reach. We’re grateful to President Biden, EPA Administrator Regan, and House and Senate biofuel champions for working together to protect America’s fuel supply, ensure continued savings at the pump, and promote cleaner air for all.”

Last summer, E15 saved American drivers up to nearly $1 per gallon in some areas, with an average savings of 16 cents per gallon, according to ABF Economics.

“Boosting the nation’s available fuel supply with E15 is better for consumers, the environment, and the economy,” Shields continued. “E15 can help shield Americans from gasoline supply shortages and price spikes. In addition, E15 reduces smog-forming emissions, which can mean cleaner air in congested urban areas most impacted by air pollution. E15 also supports jobs, creates value for family farmers, and drives economic growth in rural communities across America.”

Federal regulations limit the vapor pressure of gasoline during the summer ozone season; however, those rules were drafted before E15 was available. E15 is effectively blocked from the marketplace during the summer months because of an unintended wrinkle in federal law, despite having lower evaporative emissions than standard summertime gasoline. Just last year, research by the University of California Riverside reaffirmed that E15 reduces volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter that contribute to smog formation.