Rising gasoline prices spurred by war in the Middle East provided a rallying cry Tuesday for ethanol as a lower-cost alternative.
At a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee hearing on farm production, lawmakers from both parties took turns venting frustration that Congress hasn’t been able to lift summer restrictions on the sale of E15 fuel despite support from President Donald Trump and even some petroleum companies.
“We were there in February, until some refiners wanted to get their hands in the cookie jar,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), referencing the collapsed effort to include year-round E15 in an annual spending bill in the House.
Lawmakers who’ve already been motivated to push the issue said the rapidly rising gas prices across the country provide all the more reason to act quickly on E15 — if they can find a legislative vehicle in the Senate and overcome complications in the House.
