This follows EPA’s approval of up to E15 for vehicles 2007 and newer last fall. Both approvals came after EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy performed their own research into the use of E15.
“Higher ethanol blends like E15 will support the ethanol industry, which is reaching market saturation at E10, and help the United States continue down the path of utilizing more clean burning renewable fuels that are made in America,” Kelly Brunkhorst, director of research for the Nebraska Corn Board, said in a news release.
“We are pleased to see EPA’s research clearly demonstrate that E15 is an outstanding fuel for more than 120 million vehicles on the road today and that it followed that research in making the approval,” he said.
A request to allow the use of ethanol blends up to E15 was filed in 2009. More than 5,000 Nebraskans filed comments with EPA in support of the waiver request.
While EPA approval is important, it will take some time before E15 will be available at pumps in Nebraska and across the country.
“Additional regulatory loose ends and certifications still need to be completed, but we are hoping to see E15 later this year at stations across Nebraska,” said Tim Scheer, a member of the Nebraska Corn Board who farms near St. Paul. “Since Nebraska is the second-largest ethanol producing state in the country, the adoption of E15 will allow Nebraskans to use more of the home-grown fuel that supports jobs right here in the state and across the country."
Darrin Ihnen, chairman of the National Corn Growers Association, said, “We have worked closely with EPA during this process and are pleased to see they also realized what our industry has known for a long time: the use of higher blends of ethanol in vehicles is safe.”
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