Written Testimony of Jonathan F. Lewis Senior Counsel Clean Air Task Force Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works Environmental Impacts of E15 For a Hearing on S.517, the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act

The Clean Air Task Force opposes the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act (S.517) because expanding E15 use would likely increase corn ethanol production, which the author claims has higher lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline. Additionally, the testimony argues that E15 increases NOx emissions, particularly in older vehicles, which could worsen ozone pollution in areas already near National Ambient Air Quality Standard limits.

• Expanding the market for E15 is likely to be filled by corn ethanol, which EPA data indicates has higher lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline unless produced in biorefineries using biomass for heat.
• The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) may actually increase net greenhouse gas emissions due to a 'rebound effect' where increased fuel supply lowers prices and encourages higher overall fuel consumption.
• While E15 is slightly less volatile than E10 and may slightly reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, it is expected to increase nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions due to higher oxygen content causing hotter combustion temperatures.
• The increase in NOx emissions from E15 is particularly concerning because ozone formation in most of the U.S. is more sensitive to NOx than to VOCs, and older or poorly maintained vehicles lack the emissions controls to capture this additional NOx.
• Increased NOx emissions from E15 could push numerous U.S. cities and regions that are currently near the 0.070 and 0.075 ppm ozone standards into nonattainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS).

APA

Lewis, J. F. (2017). Written Testimony of Jonathan F. Lewis Senior Counsel Clean Air Task Force Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works Environmental Impacts of E15 For a Hearing on S.517, the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/21093012/CATF_Testimony_JonathanLewis.pdf

Chicago

Lewis, Jonathan F. Written Testimony of Jonathan F. Lewis Senior Counsel Clean Air Task Force Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works Environmental Impacts of E15 For a Hearing on S.517, the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act. Clean Air Task Force, 2017. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/21093012/CATF_Testimony_JonathanLewis.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lewis |first1=Jonathan F. |title=Written Testimony of Jonathan F. Lewis Senior Counsel Clean Air Task Force Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works Environmental Impacts of E15 For a Hearing on S.517, the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=14 June 2017 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/21093012/CATF_Testimony_JonathanLewis.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lewis2017written, author = {Lewis, Jonathan F.}, title = {{Written Testimony of Jonathan F. Lewis Senior Counsel Clean Air Task Force Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment \& Public Works Environmental Impacts of E15 For a Hearing on S.517, the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2017}, month = jun, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/21093012/CATF_Testimony_JonathanLewis.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }