WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued the statement below following the Administration’s announcement that it will approve an emergency waiver to allow the sale of E15, a blend of fuel containing 15 percent ethanol, during summer 2023. Last month, Klobuchar and Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) introduced bipartisan legislation to make E15 permanently available year-round.

“I have long fought to increase the availability of E15, including through my bipartisan legislation to make sure drivers across the country can access E15 year-round,” said Klobuchar. “Investing in affordable biofuels produced in the U.S. will benefit our economy, lower prices at the pump, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I am glad to see the administration will allow the sale of E15 this summer, and I will continue pushing for permanent access year-round.”

Klobuchar has long been a strong advocate for investing in renewable fuel infrastructure, increasing American biofuel production, and upholding the Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

This month, Klobuchar and Senator Grassley (R-IA) led a bipartisan group of colleagues in pushing the Administration to improve the Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) Set rule for 2023-25.

In March, Klobuchar and Senator Fischer (R-NE) introduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2023 to enable the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10 percent, helping to lower fuel prices and provide certainty in fuel markets for farmers and consumers.

In March, she introduced bipartisan legislation to lower fuel prices and improve vehicle efficiency. The Next Generation Fuels Act would allow the sale of fuels with higher-octane levels and greater amounts of ethanol.

Last April, Klobuchar led a bipartisan group of colleagues in pushing the Biden administration to expand American biofuel availability.

In March 2022, she and Ernst introduced the Home Front Energy Independence Act, bipartisan legislation to expand the availability and production of American biofuel, following President Biden’s ban on importing Russian oil.

In February 2022, she and Grassley led a bipartisan letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prioritize the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by maintaining the blending requirements for 2022; denying all pending Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs); eliminating proposed retroactive cuts to the renewable volume obligations (RVOs); and setting 2021 RFS volumes at the statutory levels.

Klobuchar and Grassley also introduced bipartisan legislation in December 2021 to provide certainty to biofuel producers by preventing the EPA from retroactively reducing RVO levels once finalized.

Additionally, in July 2021, Klobuchar and Fischer introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation, cosponsored by Smith, to permit the year-round sale of E15.

In June 2021, Klobuchar introduced a package of bipartisan bills to expand the availability of low-carbon renewable fuels, incentivize the use of higher blends of biofuels, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Co-led by Ernst, the Biofuel Infrastructure and Agricultural Product Market Expansion Act would expand the availability of low-carbon renewable fuels in the marketplace, resulting in cleaner air, lower fuel process, and rural economic vitality.