E15 is the Wrong Fuel to Drive America's Energy Plan

By Gabriella Hoffman
April 28, 2022

There’s no better way to enjoy warmer weather than road-tripping or some sort of water sport. But an updated biofuel rule permitting the sale of E15 gasoline could derail many summer plans.

The White House recently announced its intention to sell E15 (15% ethanol and 85% gasoline) to offset high prices at the pump — attributing it to the so-called “Putin Price Hike.” In an unprecedented move, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to fall in line and will issue a rare emergency waiver greenlighting the sale between June 1st to September 15th —which was previously forbidden under the Clean Air Act, given air pollution concerns.

But this rule change would be sustainable for neither working families nor the environment.

With rising inflation, increasing production of corn-based fuel will further add to economic woes. Though it’s been lauded as a viable alternative to conventional fuel, E15 has vast shortcomings as a reliable fuel source.

First, its availability is quite scarce, and market demand is low. According to the EPA, E15 is currently sold in 2,300 gas stations across 30 states. Of the 150,000 gas stations nationwide, that’s a paltry 1.5%. Moreover, the reported savings of 10 cents cheaper per gallon at the pump are exaggerated, at best. One conservative estimate only shows a $0.02 reduction in fuel costs. Ethanol’s profitability is also dependent on the price of corn and gasoline. If corn prices rise, farmers won’t be able to meet demand and will, in turn, produce a lower-quality, alcohol-like fuel.

The White House erroneously claims shoring up production of homegrown ethanol-based gasoline bolsters the environment. The evidence, rather, points to the opposite. A February 2022 study published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences claims U.S.- corn-based ethanol is worse for the environment than conventional gasoline, concluding “land to grow corn can negate or even reverse any climate advantages of corn ethanol relative to gasoline.” Worse news for the administration: The findings also concluded ethanol is 24% more carbon-intensive than regular gasoline. The EPA previously experimented with cellulosic ethanol and deemed it a colossal failure.


E15 gas isn’t ubiquitous and can’t adequately fuel most vehicular motors. Why? It’s limited to cars built after 2001-excluding motorcycles, lawn mowers, or boats as the fuel is incompatible with their engines. More troubling for E15 backers in the White House: Flex-fuel cars get 15% to 27% fewer miles compared to cars running on regular gasoline.

With respect to outbound marine motors, E15 isn’t compatible with plastic and rubber components, is highly corrosive, and will lead to engine failure. One boating magazine wrote, “Ethanol also raises the oxygen content of fuel, which can cause a lean condition and cause the engine to run hot and eventually fail due to excessive carbon build-up, over-heated exhaust valves and bearing failure in older two-stroke outboard engines.” A 2011 National Renewable Energy Lab study on ethanol fuel endurance similarly found these motors running on E15 cannot accommodate fuels containing more than 10% ethanol.

Unfortunately, there is a bipartisan addiction to biofuels due to entrenched special interests. In 2019, former President Donald J. Trump authorized the full-year emergency sale of the biofuel under the guise of helping farmers. But a federal court ruled the former president’s actions countered federal law.

This White House has similarly expressed interest in having this rule be applied year-round but not a peep from environmentalists. Talk about a double standard.

Who will benefit from this rule change? Sadly, not America’s working families. The Biden administration will give kickbacks to industry backers and already-subsidized biofuel manufacturers. The Biden administration will allocate $100 million dollars for homegrown biofuels infrastructure, award $700 million in subsidies to biofuel producers, and give another $5.6 million in grants through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program.

The White House leans on performative environmentalism that’s costly to Americans and won’t bolster the environment. Instead of embracing this unsustainable biofuel standard, it should continue to boost production of cheap, clean oil and gas.

Gabriella Hoffman is a Young Voices Contributor and host of the District of Conservation podcast. Follow her on Twitter at @Gabby_Hoffman.