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Report: U.S. drivers have logged 100 billion miles on E15

A report from Growth Energy recently found U.S. motorists have driven 100 billion miles on E15 fuel blends.

Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, says that’s no surprise. “The numbers just keep going up,” he said. “Where the fuel is offered, it sells. It’s more octane for less money. It’s not a hard decision for consumers to make.”

E15 has been saving motorists nationwide an average of up to 15 cents per gallon at the pump, with some drivers encountering savings as high as 60 cents per gallon, according to the Growth Energy data.

Shaw tells Brownfield it’s time for Congress to finalize a long-term fix for year-round sales.

“Even the American Petroleum Institute wants to get away from (the restrictions) because they see it as ridiculous,” he said. “But there are some members of the refining industry that are continuing to block it because they happen to have refineries in the backyard of key senators that are chairing the committee that it needs to go through.”

He says IRFA and seven additional renewable fuels groups recently asked the Biden administration’s Office of Management and Budget to approve a proposal from eight Midwestern governors that would remove summertime E15 restrictions.