President Donald Trump will use a supplemental funding bill on Wednesday to seek year-round sales of gasoline with 15% ethanol, a move that would lift the summer-only limits on E15 and give the White House its first formal push for the policy.
The step revives a long-sought priority for the biofuels industry and underscores Trump’s support for a fuel blend he has backed for years. Gasoline with 10% ethanol can already be sold year-round, but E15 is treated differently because it evaporates more readily in hot weather and can contribute to smog. Under federal rules, retailers generally have to switch to more expensive formulations during the summer unless the government grants emergency waivers.
For sellers, that change would matter immediately. Keeping E15 on the market through the summer would ease a rule that has forced fuel stations to adjust blends when temperatures rise, and it would align federal policy more closely with what the biofuels industry has wanted for years.
The push also puts Trump on a collision course with U.S. refiners, who have opposed the measure over concerns it could raise costs and complicate fuel distribution. That opposition has helped keep the issue in place even as Trump has continued to favor the higher-ethanol blend.
The question now is whether Congress will let the provision survive inside the supplemental funding bill. Wednesday gives the White House a public opening, but it does not guarantee passage, and the fate of E15 will depend on whether lawmakers are willing to turn Trump’s backing into law.
