WASHINGTON D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, joined U.S. Representative Adrian Smith (NE-03) at a press conference urging Congress to fulfill President Trump’s pledge to allow the sale of year-round E15.
During her remarks, Senator Fischer called on Congress to pass her Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025, ending years of patchwork regulations and giving producers and consumers the certainty they deserve. Senator Fischer and Congressman Smith were joined by National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr., along with U.S. Representatives Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Ashley Hinson (IA-02), Mike Flood (NE-01), and Jim Baird (IN-04).
“Congress must pass our Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025 to fulfill President Trump’s pledge to allow the sale of year-round E15 and give America’s producers the certainty they deserve. It’s a win for consumers and a diverse group of stakeholders—including organizations in the petroleum, fuel marketing, and retail sectors—and it is exactly what the ethanol industry needs: permanent, nationwide access. I look forward to working with Congressman Smith, our colleagues in the House and Senate, and President Trump to get our bill signed into law,” said Senator Fischer.
“Our agricultural producers face uncertainty every day, and in recent years, high fuel prices have hit Americans hard, forcing families to make tough decisions when filling their fuel tank,” said Congressman Smith.“Meanwhile, unscientific and misguided barriers to E15 have blocked access to this affordable and sustainable energy source and sowed regulatory uncertainty. Lifting the restriction on nationwide year-round sale of E15 would unleash investment to contribute an estimated 66.3 billion dollars to U.S. GDP and 188,000 additional jobs. It was President Trump’s first administration which paved the way for summertime sales, and it’s now well past time that we provide market certainty through law.”
Corn grower leaders joined Congressional biofuels leaders at the press conference on Capitol Hill to push for passage of legislation that would extend consumer access to fuels with 15% ethanol blends, known as E15 and Unleaded 88.
“Eliminating barriers to high blends of ethanol would be good for farmers and the economy,” said Illinois farmer and NCGA President Kenneth Hartman Jr. “Especially as we face uncertainty in our foreign markets, increasing demand for corn domestically would be a much-needed boost for farmers and rural communities.”
Growers had hoped that E15 access would be included in the continuing resolution that is being voted on this week, but that bill, packaged to keep the government funded, did not include mention of the language when it was introduced on Sunday.
“We are very disappointed that extended access to E15 was not included in the continuing resolution,” Hartman noted during the press conference. “We appreciate the work of our allies in Congress who champion corn growers and our priorities and call on Congress to address this issue as soon as possible.”
