Over 100 Kansans Submit Comments

Kansas Corn Submits Comments Supporting Year-Round E15

Kansas Corn Growers Association submitted its comments to EPA supporting a rule that would allow year-round availability of E15 fuel and urged EPA to finalize the rule by June 1. Over 100 Kansas farmers, fuel retailers and consumers submitted comments supporting access to year-round E15 fuel through KCGA’s portal. An outdated environmental rule currently restricts the sale of E15 during the summer driving months. This proposed rule would lift that restriction. KCGA also cited the comments of Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam who submitting comments supporting the E15 rule, based on data from KDA’s Division of Weights and Measures.

While corn growers support EPA’s proposal to provide parity for E15 with standard 10 percent ethanol blends, KCGA urged the EPA to take steps to ensure the complex RIN market proposal also included in the rule does not weigh down the final E15 rule, which is needed by June 1 to avoid an interruption in E15 sales.

“While our members are not direct participants in the RIN market, we recognize that EPA must ensure RIN market rules are fair to those who are blending biofuels to further the RFS and maintain an efficient RIN marketplace. However, there is substantial concern from the ethanol industry as to the effectiveness of the proposed RIN market modifications within this rule. As such, we encourage EPA to remove the RIN market modifications from this rule in order to prevent delays in E15 sales for this summer’s driving season.”

See KCGA’s complete comments here.