WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), along with members of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, joined a bipartisan group of Midwest senators on a push to expand the year-round sales of E15 nationwide.

The EPA defines E15 as gasoline blended with 10.5 to 15 percent ethanol.

“As gas prices remain painfully high for many Americans, we consistently see E15 provides consumers with a more affordable option for filling up their tanks,” Grassley said. “Ethanol is good for the economy, good for national security, and good for the environment. In addition to benefiting consumers, it’s time to give some certainty to our farmers and producers.”

The move is based on the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, which Grassley and Ernst, along with other Midwest senators, introduced Nov. 30. They said the bill would extend the 1-psi (per square inch) summertime Reid Vapor Pressure volatility waiver to blends of ethanol above 10 percent, allowing for the permanent sale of E15 year-round.

The bill is also supported by the American Petroleum Institute, SIGMA (an Alexandria, Va.-based fuel marketer), the National Association of Truck Stop Operators, the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, the National Corn Growers Association, the American Coalition for Ethanol, the National Farmers Union and the America Farm Bureau Federation.

According to the EPA, volatility is the property of a liquid fuel that defines its evaporation characteristics. Reid Vapor Pressure is a common measure of – and generic term for – gasoline volatility. The EPA regulates the vapor pressure of gasoline sold at retail stations during the summer ozone season (June 1 to Sept. 15) to reduce evaporative emissions from gasoline the EPA said contributes to “ground-level ozone, and diminish the effects of ozone-related health problems.”

The EPA established a two-phase reduction in summertime commercial gasoline volatility. These rules, the agency said, reduce gasoline emissions of volatile organic compounds that, they added, are “a major contributor to ground-level ozone (smog).”

Depending on the state and month, the EPA said gasoline Reid Vapor Pressure may not exceed 9 psi (pounds per square inch) or 7.8 psi. The EPA provides a 1.0 psi Reid Vapor Pressure allowance for gasoline containing 10 percent ethanol.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the EPA grants fuel waivers in consultation with the U.S. Secretary of Energy, and state representatives.

The EPA said Reid Vapor Pressure waivers allow higher-Reid Vapor Pressure fuel to be sold in the affected region, usually to increase supply, and may also include waivers of RFG (reformulated gasoline) requirements in areas where reformulated gasoline is required.

“Homegrown ethanol is the cheaper, cleaner option to relieve pain at the pump, and we’ve seen the benefits of year-round E15 sales right here in Iowa,” Ernst said. “By ensuring the year-round sale of higher blends of ethanol across the country, we will bring much-needed certainty to our corn growers, who stand ready to fulfill demands from coast to coast.”