[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 92 (Monday, June 1, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2461-S2462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                ETHANOL

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, Iowa is the leading producer of ethanol. 
About 43,000 jobs are connected with that production. Ethanol is 
produced from corn. Iowa is the No. 1 producer of corn in the United 
States.
  The House of Representatives has passed a bill for 15 percent mixture 
of ethanol with petroleum gasoline. That is E15.
  Up until now, E10--10-percent mixture--has been considered a pretty 
good success story. So expanding it will have more homegrown renewable 
energy, if we can get E15 nationwide year-round. And it takes 
legislation to make that happen.
  In recent weeks, some of my colleagues have come to the floor to 
speak on this very same subject--some for E15 legislation and some 
against E15 legislation.
  So I think there are a lot of myths about ethanol and E15 that need 
to be cleared up. One of those myths that continues to spread is that 
year-round, nationwide E15 is a mandate. So I want to be very clear: 
E15 legislation is not a mandate; it is a choice.
  And it is this simple: You are driving into the filling station to 
fill up your car--even today with the high price that it is--you will 
see that you have a choice of gasoline with no ethanol or with 10-
percent ethanol or E15.
  The trouble is, not every retailer has it. But it is a choice when 
you go to the pump to punch the button you want for the type of 
gasoline that you want to put in your car.
  I support E15 legislation because it removes both outdated and 
unnecessary redtape from the EPA. Just as an example of that redtape, 
the law says that in some parts of our country, you can't dispense 
ethanol in your gasoline in June, July, August, and September. You 
can't do it during those months.
  However, we have been successful under 2 years of Trump 1, 4 years of 
Biden, and 2 years now of Trump, by Presidential waiver, that we can 
have E15 nationwide. But that is redtape that we shouldn't have to go 
through.
  And that is the reason for the legislation. It would allow consumers 
to have a choice to purchase E15 year-round in all 50 States. And it 
takes legislation to do that because you will never get the retailers 
of gasoline to spend the money to update their pumps for E15 without 
the legislation. Some have done it now, trusting that there will be a 
Presidential waiver year after year, but a lot of retailers won't 
depend on that.
  So this legislation is not a mandate because it would not force gas 
stations to sell E15 if they don't want to. However, because E15 saves 
consumers 10 to 30 cents per gallon, I suspect that many fuel retailers 
will choose to provide their customers with this high quality, low 
cost, homegrown fuel.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.

[[Page S2462]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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