Ethanol Blog

LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) -- Thousands of farmers and attorneys general from 16 states are pressing members of Congress to pass legislation to make E15 sales permanent on a national basis.

The Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act was introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in February and on Thursday nearly 9,000 farmers signed a National Corn Growers Association letter sent to congressional leadership calling for the passage of the bill.

In a separate letter to Congress, attorneys general from 16 states including Louisiana, Kansas, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, West Virginia, South Dakota, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Alaska, also called for E15 legislation to be passed.

"Standardizing year-round E15 will result in an increase in corn demand of about 2.3 billion bushels per year," the farmers said in their letter.

"Considering that about one-third of corn produced in the U.S. is used for ethanol production, this demand creation will result in an impressive improvement in profitability for operations across the nation -- and rural communities will reap the benefits. Congress came closer than ever to approving a legislative fix at the end of 2024 and we are grateful to the members of Congress who rallied behind this endeavor."

They said farms across the nation are "struggling" and that "not only is 2025 shaping up to be the third-consecutive year of losses for corn growers but the forecast on returns drops even further to the lowest level since 2000. Corn growers need a market-centric solution to overcome this bleak economic outlook and year-round E15 sales would provide an opportunity to curb the weakening farm economy."

The attorneys general said the time is now to pass the bill, as there has "never been more support from across the energy industry for this reform."

The legislation is endorsed by the American Petroleum Institute, Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers Union and the National Association of Convenience Stores, the AGs said.

"Oil producers from the oilmen of Texas and North Dakota to the farmers in Iowa and Nebraska agree: this legislative fix will help jump-start American energy production," the letter said.

Read more on DTN:

"Bipartisan Year-Round National E15 Solution Introduced in House, Senate," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

"Ohio Seeks E15 Delay From Trump EPA," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @DTNeeley

(c) Copyright 2025 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.