A key ag issue nears the finish line as E15 passes the House, but Senator Deb Fischer says there’s more work to do.
Nationwide, year-round E15 is one of Fischer’s signature issues, something she’s spent a decade trying to pass.
She praised Rep. Adrian Smith for his efforts.
“He shepherded the bill through, forced a vote on it,” Fischer said. “Adrian has been on this for years, too. I’ve introduced the bill for ten years in the Senate and we’ve come close the last couple of years, but to have the House, passed that bill, that’s good movement.”
Fischer spoke to the Rural Radio Network from Washington, as the issue now needs Senate approval before it can go to Pres. Donald Trump. She said she has already talked to Sen. Ag Chairman John Boozman.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to get something done here in the Senate,” she told the Rural Radio Network.
In the House, E15 faced criticism that it was a “mandate” or a “subsidy” for ethanol, something Fischer rejects.
This week she questioned EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin about the higher ethanol blends.
“It was great timing because I asked the administrator, some questions about E15. It a mandate? Because we’re starting to hear some of our colleagues say, oh, E15 is a mandate. That’s not good. We don’t need that. No, it is not a mandate, it is choice for consumers. Have any refineries closed? And Administrators Zeldin said no,” Fischer said.
Fischer said E15’s lower price at the pump makes it an attractive option. The legislation would not require fuel stations to sell the higher ethanol blend but would allow sales without EPA waivers that are currently needed.
“It’s important that consumers have a choice and that’s what year-round sale of E15 would be. It’s a choice for them. I look at the price at the pump all the time, and, I fill up with ethanol. You know, another misconception out there, and we hear these old arguments, and it’s just frustrating as we fight to get this done that they say it’s going to ruin your engine. No. Any vehicle manufactured after 2001 you can put ethanol in. It’s just these misconceptions that we continually have to clear up,” Fisher told KRVN Farm Director Steve White.
Nebraska Corn Growers Association leaders Michael Dibbern and Jan tenBensel thanked Fischer and Smith for their leadership as they continue to advocate for E15.