The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has halted a bill that would have allowed gasoline with 15 percent ethanol to be sold year-round. The bill was co-sponsored by Republican Senators Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, along with Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana. Despite the bipartisan support, the legislation was unable to muster enough support in the committee. Committee leaders announced Friday that there would be no action on the bill before the August recess. It also remains unclear whether the legislation will be resurrected sometime in the fall. Ethanol groups say the fight for year-round E15 sales doesn’t end with the failure of support for the bill. Further, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said in May that the EPA was working to determine whether the agency had the authority to allow year-round sales of E15 fuels.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.