The attorneys general of Iowa and Nebraska filed a lawsuit Monday against the Environmental Protection Agency over their request to make E-15 gasoline available year-round.
Last year, eight Midwestern governors, including Iowa and Nebraska, requested that the EPA change its regulations to make E-15 gas permanently available year round.
According to the EPA, the gasoline mix that contains 15 percent ethanol cannot be sold in about two-thirds of the country during the summer in order to meet federal clean air standards.
In the lawsuit, Iowa and Nebraska attorneys general claim that under the Clean Air Act, the EPA was required to act on the request within 90 days, but has not responded to it in more than a year.
“The Biden Administration has dragged its feet long enough,” said Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, in a statement. “Hardworking Iowans deserve a cheaper, cleaner option at the gas pump. But despite the Governors’ request, the EPA has refused to allow Iowans to buy the fuel they want."
Earlier this year, the EPA issued an emergency waiver to be sold during this summer to address market supply issues created by the war in Ukraine.
The Des Moines Register reported that the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, a national oil lobby group, has opposed the governors’ request for a permanent change, saying it will increase the cost of gas production, and therefore, gas prices at the pump.
