EPA Releases E15 Waiver Statement, Farmers Call for Year-Round E15

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on March 25, 2026, that it will use its existing authority to prevent drivers from losing access to lower-cost and lower-emission E15, a higher ethanol blend often marketed as Unleaded 88.

The EPA says this change is intended to help lower fuel costs for Americans as energy markets react to Operation “Epic Fury” in Iran. This fuel burns cleaner and is typically cheaper at the pump, and it can be used in flex-fuel vehicles and most cars made in 2001 or later.



Sarah Hastings, an IL Corn Growers Association Director and Sidney, IL farmer said, “There are so many things that farmers can’t control. I can’t control what the weather is going to do. I can’t control what the market and commodity prices are going to do. A couple years ago, we had hurricanes bring a crazy aphid up and ate half of our corn crop. So, if we had some certainty and we knew that E15 was available year-round, that’s one less thing I have to worry about.”

ICGA Association President and Maroa farmer, Mark Bunselmeyer, said, “EPA’s action to allow continued access to E15 this summer provides short-term certainty for consumers at the pump, but this waiver must be repeatedly reinforced every 20 days until Congress enacts a permanent, year-round E15 solution. With fuel prices up 30% since the Iran conflict began, expanding the use of domestic ethanol can help lower costs for consumers while delivering the long-term market stability farmers need.”

Learn more about E15:

E15: Missing Progress in Pursuit of Perfection

Only Congress Can Fix Arbitrary E15 Barrier