The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act: Environmental, Health & Consumer Considerations

This fact sheet examines the environmental, health, and economic implications of the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act (S.517, H.R. 1311), which proposes amending the Clean Air Act to allow the year-round sale of E15 fuel. It details how current Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) standards inadvertently restrict E15 sales during summer months, the resulting costs to retailers and consumers, and the potential for higher ethanol blends to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants.

• 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 and 85 percent gasoline). Current Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) standards, designed to control ozone formation in summer, inadvertently block E15 sales in most regions during the warmer months.
• Increasing ethanol content from E10 to E15 is associated with air quality improvements, including a reduction in harmful volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and smog-forming potential. Specifically, while the cancer risk from acetaldehyde increases by 1 percent, the cancer risk from 1-3 butadiene decreases by 6.6 percent. Research also indicates that E15 and E20 blends do not increase tailpipe emissions or damage catalysts in older vehicles (up to 170,000 miles).
• Higher ethanol blends can significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Domestically-produced corn ethanol is on average 43 percent less GHG intensive than gasoline, and a 5 percentage point increase in blending (from E10 to E15) results in an additional 1.5 percent reduction in GHG emissions. Cellulosic ethanol can reduce GHG emissions by 90 to 115 percent relative to gasoline.
• E15 is compatible with nearly 90 percent of cars currently on the road, including all Flex-Fuel Vehicles and model year 2001 and newer vehicles. As of 2017, 80 percent of new vehicles—including those from Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, and Volkswagen Group—approve E15 in their owner manuals.
• The seasonal transition to summer-grade gasoline causes retail price spikes between February and late spring, with average increases of 53 cents per gallon (ranging from 9 to 42 percent between 2000 and 2016). These increases are driven by more expensive blending components, longer refining processes, and lower per-barrel yields.
• Retailers face significant financial and operational burdens due to summer RVP restrictions on E15. In 2017, the cost of switching pump labels to "Flex-Fuel Vehicles Only" for the summer was estimated at $200 million across the industry. Additionally, some retailers, such as Sheetz, report losing 40 percent of their E15 customer base during the summer transition.
• E15 availability is expanding, growing from 342 stations in 2014 to 952 retailers in 29 states by September 2017. This growth is supported by the Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership (BIP), a $210 million grant program intended to install approximately 5,000 blender pumps at 1,400 gas stations.

APA

Stolark, J. (2017). The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act: Environmental, Health & Consumer Considerations. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet-Fuel_Retailer_Choice_Act_092017.pdf

Chicago

Stolark, Jessie. The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act: Environmental, Health & Consumer Considerations. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2017. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet-Fuel_Retailer_Choice_Act_092017.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Stolark |first1=Jessie |title=The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act: Environmental, Health & Consumer Considerations |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=September 2017 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet-Fuel_Retailer_Choice_Act_092017.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stolark2017consumer, author = {Stolark, Jessie}, title = {{The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act: Environmental, Health \& Consumer Considerations}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2017}, month = sep, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet-Fuel_Retailer_Choice_Act_092017.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }