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Senators continue to urge Biden administration to prioritize E-15

A member of the U.S. Senate Ag Committee says expanding the use of E-15 sends important signals to consumers and the energy industry.

Sherrod Brown of Ohio is part of a bipartisan group of Senators who recently sent a letter urging President Biden to permit the summertime sale of the fuel. “I want to see us enable the year-round nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10%,” he says. “It will lower fuel prices, it supports farmers, it expands markets, and it really does provide price stability for consumers.”

He tells Brownfield the administration needs to pursue an all-of-the-above energy strategy. “I think there’s room obviously for traditional engines and for electric vehicles in this country,” he says. “It’s a job creator if done right, and it expands markets for Ohio farmers.”

In the letter, the Senators reminded President Biden that previous temporary waives have proven that permitting the sale of higher blends of biofuels, like E-15, through the summer driving season bolsters the domestic fuel supply, lowers consumer costs, and promotes the environmental benefits of American biofuels and today’s agriculture.

Brown says he continues to push for a ban on electric vehicles manufactured in China. “I don’t think we should be importing electric vehicles from China,” he says. “It’s a national security issue. It’s a jobs issue. We know that China cheats in terms of the subsidies the Communist Party and China provides.  But, they also have a sophistication to them and technology that they can gather all kinds of data if those cars are on American streets.”

Brown says American biofuels are a clean and reliable energy solution.

The letter was signed by U.S. Senators: John Thune and Mike Rounds (R-SD), Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters (D-MI), Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall (R-KS), Sherrod Brown (D) and J.D. Vance (R)(OH).

AUDIO: U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio