The Environmental Protection Agency announced a temporary waiver to allow summertime sales of higher ethanol-gasoline blends in 2026, as the Trump administration seeks to bolster energy security and curb rising fuel costs amid war in the Middle East.

“This emergency action will provide American families with relief by increasing fuel supply and consumer choice,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the move also will “directly lower prices at the pump and gives a clear demand signal to our domestic biofuels producers." 

This is the fifth straight year of E15 waivers. The Trump administration allowed summertime sales last year, after the Biden administration granted them from 2022 to 2024.

The agency is waiving federal law that doesn’t permit sales of gasoline mixed with 15% ethanol (E15) from June 1 to Sept. 15, due to initial worry over issues around Reid vapor pressure (RVP), or how easily fuel evaporates in warm temperatures. Such concern is now widely viewed as outdated, though the restriction remains after a federal appeals court in 2021 said only Congress can change the law to allow year-round E15. The ruling  overturned a year-round E15 executive order by President Donald Trump during his first term. Bipartisan efforts to pass an E15 bill so far have failed. 

“While today’s announcement is great news for farmers, year-round E15 is essential for the farm economy, and Congress needs to find a common-sense solution that provides much needed certainty to consumers and farmers," Rollins said in the EPA news release on Wednesday. 

Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee had a unified response on social media to reports on the E15 waiver: “Now make it permanent.”

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, ranking Democrat on the Senate Ag Committee, asked Trump this week to lean into his avowed support for permanent year-round E15 as the U.S. war with Iran has led to a surge in oil prices amid shocks to global energy supply. In January, Trump called on congressional leaders to find a way to get E15 passed. Lawmakers are still scrambling to do so.

“The U.S. ethanol industry currently has the capacity to produce 18.5 billion gallons per year, enough to replace the volume of crude oil that originates in the Middle East and traverses the Strait of Hormuz nearly fivefold,” Klobuchar wrote to Trump on Tuesday. “Ethanol can quickly and economically fill the market void created by shipping disruptions in the Middle East.”

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Nearly all motor gasoline currently sold in the U.S. is blended with10% ethanol, which, serves as an oxygenate and high-octane booster. For years, producers of the corn-based biofuel and farmers have been pushing for Congress to pass E15. A bill got close in January, but disagreement among oil refiners over proposed Renewable Fuel Standard changes scuttled the proposed legislation.

Biofuel producers need new markets to bridge the gap between declining liquid fuel demand due to electric vehicles and more fuel-efficient cars and the expected full development of low-carbon fuel markets for airplanes and ships. About 40% of all U.S. corn each year is used to make ethanol. Obtaining year-round E15 has gained increased urgency among supporters because of the war in the Middle East as well as slumping farm income due to soaring production costs.

“With geopolitical conflict roiling energy markets worldwide, we applaud President Trump and Administrator Zeldin for acting quickly and decisively to combat potential fuel shortages and help keep a lid on gas prices this summer," said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper.

"Today’s action will allow maximum flexibility and fuel fungibility in the marketplace, which is exactly what the supply chain needs right now," he said. "We also appreciate the efforts of USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, several Midwest governors, and the many ethanol supporters in Congress who worked together to promote continued access to E15.”

EPA also said it’s waiving enforcement of all state “boutique” fuel requirements for gasoline, allowing production and distribution of gasoline with 9-15% ethanol content at a single common RVP standard of 10 psi across the nation. The actions take effect May 1 for most states and will initially remain in place through May 20, the maximum number of days allowed under law. 

EPA last year granted requests from eight Midwestern states to sell year-round E15. Today’s action helps refiners avoid the problem of dealing with a two-tiered system.   

“We appreciate EPA making this decision now, ahead of the summer driving season, to ensure companies can adequately plan and minimize disruptions,” said Chet Thompson, CEO of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, which represents large and small refiners. “We are confident in the ability of the U.S. refining industry to continue providing the fuels consumers need and expect."  

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