FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 5, 2022
Contact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) spoke on the Senate floor and advocated for Kentucky farmers and consumers with the Ethanol Access for a Sustainable Economy Act of 2022 or the EASE Act which would allow the sale of E-15 fuel year-round, and provide relief for Americans on the road, not only this year but every year.
“Gas prices are sixty-four percent higher in my home state of Kentucky than they were in January of 2021. This means Kentuckians are paying $1.43 more for a gallon of gas than they were at the beginning of last year. For average Americans, already struggling to put food on the table, sky high gas prices are a daily punishment,” said Dr. Paul. “Passing the EASE Act would benefit consumers, farmers, and the environment by increasing access to a clean and affordable fuel derived from one of this nation’s most abundant agricultural outputs: corn. I hope that we can finally enact this change into law to address the current challenge posed by historically high gas prices and to ensure the availability of affordable and environmentally friendly fuel in the future.”
Democrats objected to Dr. Paul’s legislation because they chose to put their radical Green New Deal agenda ahead of working Americans and families.
Background:
E-15 is a gasoline blend containing up to 15 percent ethanol, a renewable fuel typically made from corn. A 2008 study published in Atmospheric Environment found that ethanol-based fuels like E-15 emit up to 16 percent less carbon dioxide than traditional gasoline. A more recent study published by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory found that these fuels emit up to 23 percent less carbon dioxide and provide a cheaper alternative to typical gasoline, and yet the Clean Air Act currently prohibits the sale of E-15 between June and September every year.
Under current law, gas with up to 10 percent ethanol, commonly known as E-10, can be sold in the summer. But inexplicably the law treats E-15 differently, even though the higher ethanol blend is better for the environment.
American drivers ought to be able to access E-15 year-round. Prohibiting its sale in the summer months artificially restricts supply, especially when Americans are paying historically high prices for a gallon of gas.
Republican and Democrat presidents have taken action to lift this arbitrary restriction. Both Presidents Trump and Biden approved the removal of barriers to the sale of E-15 during the summer months, but Congress has it in its power to permanently allow the sale of E-15.
Dr. Paul first introduced legislation on this issue in 2015 and has since advocated for this long overdue change.
You can read the EASE Act HERE and watch Dr. Paul’s floor remarks HERE.
###