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Posted on 06/25/2026 4:41:19 AM PDT by Libloather
The Trump administration intends to ask Congress to allow E15, an ethanol-gas blend, to be sold at the pumps year-round, a U.S. official familiar with the matter told CBS News.
The 15% ethanol blend is usually only available part of the year under a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency as temperatures rise to help ease high gas prices. The administration plans to make the request when it submits a supplemental funding request to lawmakers, the official said.
Several requests on budget matters and non-budgetary matters were scheduled to be sent to the Hill on Wednesday.
A lower 10% ethanol blend is sold all year, but the 15% blend is subject to waivers because gas with the higher ethanol content evaporates more quickly in hot weather and contributes to higher levels of air pollution or smog. For this reason, federal rules normally require switching back to more costly blends.
The move to make E15 available year-round represents the White House's latest effort to tame gas prices that have risen because of the war with Iran. President Trump repeatedly said on the campaign trail that he supported making E15 available year-round.
It was unclear if the proposal would have the votes to pass.
Lawmakers from corn-growing states and other proponents of E15 argue the blend gives drivers a cheaper option at the gas pump and creates rural jobs.
E15 prices are generally about 25 cents per gallon lower than regular gas, according to the Renewable Fuels Association. The White House has said E15 can collectively save over $20 billion in annual fuel costs.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
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I hate burning food, how about we just reduce our taxes on fuel instead. On this I am 100% opposed to Trump.
As for farmers, stop giving food aid away and make those backwater grifting countries pay for it.
How about drilling, baby, drilling and building new refineries?????
What about becoming energy independent with our own great supply of oil?
$0.25 “cheaper” per gallon because the ethanol that goes into that gallon is massively subsidized at every level from seed to tank and probably cost us over $1.00 per gallon, but taken from us at places other than the pump.
But I guess that information that makes a real news story isn’t important.
How much does E15 reduce gas mileage compared to E10 or ethanol-free? I know E85 sure as hell reduces gas mileage.
Dumb. More forced obsolescence of vehicles doesn’t help the general public, though it does help out those supplying the ethanol.
No no! We use ethanol free as much as possible.
Not what I voted for.
For all the great things Trump has accomplished, he does say really stupid things from time to time.
It’s not what I voted for either. I don’t like it. But let’s also get some perspective here.
E15 is going to be available all year - does that mean E10 *won’t* be available? I guess we’ll have to see. In other news, I saw Antifa goons get sentenced to between 50 and 100 years in jail yesterday.
Do I want those goons uncharged and running free in the streets, and E15 available during only part of the year? Yeah, no, I’ll take what’s behind door #1, thanks.
That doesn’t mean Trump can’t be criticized - I think I already did it above. But “not what I voted for” sounds a little deeper than that.
Ethanol will boost the octane rating and it is cheaper, but there are problems associated with alcohol in a gas engine:
1. Lower Energy Content
Ethanol has about 76,000 BTU per gallon compared to ~114,000 BTU for pure gasoline. This means E10 (10% ethanol) or E85 (85% ethanol) delivers less energy per gallon, leading to higher fuel consumption and slightly reduced fuel economy scienceinsights.org+1.
2. Water Absorption and Phase Separation
Ethanol is hygroscopic, drawing moisture from the air. In a partially full tank, water can accumulate and separate from gasoline, forming an ethanol–water layer at the bottom. This layer won’t combust properly, and the gasoline layer loses ethanol, lowering octane and causing knocking scienceinsights.org+1. Phase separation can render fuel unusable and may require tank draining.
3. Corrosion of Metal Components
Ethanol and dissolved oxygen in blends can produce acetic acid and other corrosive byproducts, attacking mild steel, aluminum, and zinc parts in fuel tanks, lines, and carburetors scienceinsights.org+1. This corrosion can lead to rust, leaks, and component failure.
4. Degradation of Rubber and Plastics
Ethanol is a solvent that can swell, harden, or crack rubber seals, gaskets, and hoses, causing fuel leaks and reduced efficiency Engineer Fix+1.
5. Clogging of Fuel Systems
Ethanol can dissolve varnish and debris from older fuel tanks, clogging filters, injectors, or carburetor jets Engineer Fix+1.
6. Hard Cold Starts
Ethanol’s lower volatility makes it harder to start engines in cold weather, especially in older or small engines istanamachineries.com.
7. Higher Risk for Older and Small Engines
Vehicles and equipment made before ethanol blending (often pre-2001) or small engines (lawn mowers, boats, generators) are most vulnerable due to incompatible materials and design
From Istana Machineries
“I know E85 sure as hell reduces gas mileage.”
It takes a while for the Engine Control Module to recalibrate to E85 but you do get a little more horsepower and I’m in favor of more power. That being said I have the same disagreement about putting food in a gas tank. Ethanol is not good for engines that don’t see a lot of use like chainsaws, pressure washer and lawnmowers.
I noticed a 10% increase in mpg with non ethanol gas.
So here is the trade off:
Save 7% at the pump
Buy 10% more fuel
EC
We should be taking ethanol OUT of gasoline, not putting more in it. Just stop subsidizing it, and the problem goes away
And some peanut butter fudge.
I’m not in favour of burning our own food supply. Also this E15 gums up carburetors and fuel injectors.
All true - which is why an ethanol treatment is absolutely required for small engines and if you expect to park a car for an extended period you should put treatment in the car’s gas tank as well.
E15 makes this worse than E10, but that’s all true for E10 as well. The problem isn’t E15 vs. E10, the problem is putting ethanol in our gas in the first place. The original reason was to reduce greenhouse emissions, or so it was claimed, but 50 years later it’s STILL not possible to produce an energy equivalent amount of ethanol that results in less total greenhouse emission than just burning fossil fuels. And that’s never going to change. We’re putting MORE greenhouse emissions in the air using ethanol.
Bickering over how much ethanol is in gas is sidestepping the issue. We need to stop subsidizing corn for ethanol.
Just no.
I only went as far as E40 mixing E85 and E10 to see the effect on gas mileage as it was my engine and was designed to handle higher ethanol concentrations but not to E85. That was enough for me. E15 isn’t cheaper when factoring in fuel system damage and reduced gas mileage.
There's a very good reason I turn off that damned auto stop/start feature I NEVER wanted, and it's NOT because I hate the planet.
I get why you want E15.
I do.
But cars are NOT cheap. Neither are parts. Or repairs. And we keep our vehicles til they drop. And we'd just as soon have that be later rather than sooner.
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