The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act

The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act (S.517, H.R. 1311) seeks to amend the Clean Air Act to permit the year-round sale of E15 (15 percent ethanol) fuel. Currently, Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) standards—designed to limit smog-forming evaporative emissions during summer months—effectively block E15 sales from June 1 to September 15, as the existing one-pound RVP waiver only applies to blends between 9 and 10 percent ethanol. The document asserts that E15 is compatible with nearly 90 percent of U.S. vehicles (model year 2001 and newer) and offers environmental benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions and lower toxic volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions compared to E10. It further notes that the current seasonal restrictions impose costs on retailers, including an estimated $200 million in 2017 for pump re-labeling, and lead to significant customer loss during the summer. The text advocates for extending the RVP waiver to blends above E10 to lower consumer costs and support the transition to mid-level ethanol blends (E25 to E40) for more efficient internal combustion engines.

• The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act (S.517, H.R. 1311) proposes to amend the Clean Air Act to enable the year-round sale of E15 fuel, which is currently restricted during summer months by Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) standards.
• Current EPA regulations cap the volatility of gasoline (RVP) between June 1 and September 15 to reduce ozone and smog; while a 1-psi waiver exists for fuels with 9 to 10 percent ethanol, it does not extend to E15 or higher blends.
• E15 is compatible with nearly 90 percent of the current U.S. vehicle fleet, specifically model year 2001 and newer light-duty vehicles and Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs).
• Increasing ethanol content from E10 to E15 reduces greenhouse gas emissions and harmful volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, specifically decreasing the cancer risk of 1-3 butadiene by 6.6 percent, although it increases the cancer risk associated with acetaldehyde by 1 percent.
• Domestically-produced corn ethanol is on average 43 percent less GHG intensive than gasoline; a shift from E10 to E15 blending results in an additional 1.5 percent reduction in GHG emissions.
• Seasonal RVP restrictions create financial burdens for retailers, including an estimated $200 million total cost in 2017 for switching pump labels twice a year, and cause significant sales drops; Sheetz reports losing 40 percent of its E15 customer base during the summer transition.
• As of September 2017, 952 gasoline retailers across 29 states offer E15, with growth supported by the Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership (BIP), a $210 million grant program to install blender pumps.

APA

Stolark, J. (2017). The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-the-consumer-and-fuel-retailer-choice-act

Chicago

Stolark, Jessie. The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2017. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-the-consumer-and-fuel-retailer-choice-act.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Stolark |first1=Jessie |title=The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=18 September 2017 |url=https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-the-consumer-and-fuel-retailer-choice-act |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stolark2017consumer, author = {Stolark, Jessie}, title = {{The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2017}, month = sep, url = {https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-the-consumer-and-fuel-retailer-choice-act}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }