The war the U.S. and Israel started with Iran has pushed gas prices to jump more than 30% in March. The increase has led the Trump administration to try to find ways to curb the price hike caused by its bombing campaign. So the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a temporary waiver allowing the extended sale of the E15 fuel mix, a combination of 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline. There has been a summer waiver allowing E15 fuel since 2022.
As corn is a major commodity for Missouri farmers and ethanol is made from corn, organizations across the state are impacted by the temporary waiver. Corn growers and industry professionals support the move.
Missouri Corn Growers Association Executive Director Bradley Schad said the decision is beneficial to Missouri growers, as Missouri ranks 13th in ethanol production in the U.S.
“It's the additional market demand that will help drive their market up and help provide opportunities from them to invest back in their farm,” he said.
But several Midwest states bar retailers from selling E15 fuel during the summer because of amendments to the 1992 Clean Air Act. Schad calls the government’s waiver a sign of good faith from the government, as 40% of American produced corn is used to make ethanol.
“It signifies that the president has the back of the ethanol industry, the farming industry and farmers themselves, as well as, he's doing everything he can to try and bring down the price of gas for consumers as well,” he said.
But while some farmers and fuel industry leaders are celebrating the move, environmental groups are concerned. Though ethanol releases fewer emissions than gasoline, the production of ethanol increases synthetic fertilizer use, water usage and pollution.
Mid-Missouri Sierra Club Chair Carolyn Amparan said she was sorry to hear about the waiver.
“There’s a lot of emissions that come from the actual production of the corn that really should be counted, and not just what comes out of the tailpipe,” she said.
Amparan said ethanol production is especially exasperating water resources in a time of climate change, which will only encourage more dramatic droughts.
“We're facing the situation that a lot of the underground aquifers and growing regions are being depleted faster than they're being replenished. And so we really need to focus our water on our food production, not growing corn for fuel,” she said.
Amparan said the best solution would be investing in public transportation rather than car fuel.
Mid-Missouri Energy General Manager Chris Wilson is appreciative of the waiver, but also said issuing the temporary waiver for the fifth time is not a long-term solution.
“Really, we're looking for market certainty for our retailers for those stations that sell this fuel. And there's several of them that are hesitant to install pumps and put a new fuel out if they can only sell at nine months out of the year at this time,” he said.
With corn selling at a similar price of its production, Wilson said the waiver is especially important for farmers.
“For the farming community, they're looking at that, monitoring it and thinking it would certainly be beneficial for increasing demand to allow fuel that helps increase corn demand become more really available at the consumer level,” Wilson said.
