EPA Clears Year-Round E15 Sales But Tempers RIN Reforms

EPA has released the final rule to allow sales of E15 year-round via a waiver of the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) rules that have limited sales of the higher ethanol blend to eight months out of the year – not during the summer months.

EPA also announced it would undertake some reforms to the market for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), but would not do so to the degree it proposed originally.

EPA said it is now adopting a "new interpretation" of the Clean Air Act (CAA) relative the RVP waiver. "We find that E15 is “substantially similar” to Tier 3 E10 certification fuel for use in MY2001 and newer light-duty vehicles," EPA said. "In the second of these approaches, we maintain our interpretation of CAA sec. 211(f), making it clear that the conditions on the CAA sec. 211(f)(4) waivers granted to E15 in 2010 and 2011 do not restrict the application of the 1-psi waiver to downstream oxygenate blenders in most circumstances. "

The third change from EPA on this front would remove limitations in our regulations on the volatility of E15 promulgated in the E15 Misfueling Mitigation Rule (“MMR”).

Given the changes, EPA said, "parties will be able to make, distribute, and sell E15 made with the same conventional blendstock for oxygenate blending that is used to make E10 by oxygenate blenders during the summer."