(NAFB.com) – After weeks of negotiations, it appears that the House funding bill expected to advance today will exclude language that would have allowed nationwide, year-round access to E15. In place of the year-round E15 provision, Congress appears poised to create a new “Rural Domestic Energy Council” that would develop potential legislative proposals on E15 and other renewable fuels issues that could be considered for future adoption. “We are extremely disappointed that Congress appears to have again failed in adopting a simple technical fix that would have made lower-cost American-made E15 available to consumers nationwide all year long,” said Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association. “Allowing year-round E15 would have provided a lifeline to farmers who are facing the worst economic crisis in almost 50 years, while also helping American families struggling with higher energy bills.” He also pointed out that there was already a compromise deal broadly supported by ethanol and oil refiners in place.
