Over 30 Organizations Issue Letter to US Senate Opposing Year-Round Ethanol 'E15' Proposal

Over 30 environmental organizations have petitioned the U.S. Senate to oppose 'year-round E15' legislation, asserting that increasing the ethanol blend from 10 percent to 15 percent would raise food and fuel costs, increase greenhouse gas emissions through land-use changes, and cause environmental degradation.

• The proposed shift to year-round E15 could lead to a approximately 50% increase in ethanol use, which the authors claim would result in higher costs for consumers. While pump prices for E15 may appear lower, the fuel's energy content is one-third lower than gasoline, reducing fuel efficiency. Additionally, the EPA estimated that a modest increase in biofuel use could cause $41 billion in additional costs over three years, split between $24 billion in fuel costs and $17 billion in food prices due to increased corn demand.
• Expanding ethanol use would require nearly 13 million additional acres of land, which the authors argue would exacerbate climate change. They cite evidence that biofuels from food and feed crops may produce higher emissions than fossil fuels, partly because cropland expansion converts forests and grasslands into agricultural land, releasing carbon. The EPA's Science Advisory Board reported in 2023 that corn ethanol emissions estimates exceed those of gasoline.
• The transition to E15 would require significant infrastructure investment because the fuel is more corrosive than E10. More than 95% of U.S. gas stations do not currently sell E15, and the average upgrade cost per station is estimated at $133,000.
• The economic benefits of biofuel policies are unevenly distributed, primarily benefiting non-farming landlords and investors rather than working farmers. In states like Iowa, inflation-adjusted cropland values have risen by 250% over two decades, and nearly 80% of farmland in the Corn Belt is owned by non-farming landlords.
• Beyond carbon emissions, crop-based biofuels are linked to environmental harms including increased water pollution, strain on water supplies, and the loss of wildlife habitat through the conversion of land to cropland.

APA

World Resources Institute (2026). Over 30 Organizations Issue Letter to US Senate Opposing Year-Round Ethanol 'E15' Proposal. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-over-30-organizations-issue-letter-us-senate-opposing-year-round-ethanol-e15

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Over 30 Organizations Issue Letter to US Senate Opposing Year-Round Ethanol 'E15' Proposal. 2026. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-over-30-organizations-issue-letter-us-senate-opposing-year-round-ethanol-e15.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=World Resources Institute |title=Over 30 Organizations Issue Letter to US Senate Opposing Year-Round Ethanol 'E15' Proposal |date=14 July 2026 |url=https://www.wri.org/news/statement-over-30-organizations-issue-letter-us-senate-opposing-year-round-ethanol-e15 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{worldresourcesinstitute2026over, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Over 30 Organizations Issue Letter to US Senate Opposing Year-Round Ethanol 'E15' Proposal}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2026}, month = jul, url = {https://www.wri.org/news/statement-over-30-organizations-issue-letter-us-senate-opposing-year-round-ethanol-e15}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }