Congress should reject unchecked E15 expansion and support reforms to the Renewable Fuel Standard.
What This Deal Really Does
This proposal shifts costs, not reduce them
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Fewer refineries qualify for relief → higher compliance cost burdens pushed onto mid-sized, independent refiners
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Fixed exemptions replace flexibility → removes the only mechanism that adapts to market realities
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E15 expansion increases mandate pressure → drives higher RIN costs across the system
The result is higher costs concentrated on America’s remaining independent refiners, facilities that are critical to protecting America’s fuel supplies and energy security.
Impact on Gas Prices
This proposal will increase, not decrease, costs for consumers.
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The Renewable Fuel Standard already adds an estimated 29¢ per gallon
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Expanding E15 without meaningful reform increases compliance costs
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Those costs are passed directly to consumers at the pump
At a time when affordability is a top concern, this moves policy in the wrong direction.
Impact on U.S. Energy Security
The U.S. is already operating with reduced refining capacity after multiple closures and years of tightening margins. This proposal adds new cost pressure on the independent refiners that sustain regional fuel supply, pushing some closer to closure or consolidation.
The result is straightforward: weaker domestic fuel production, greater reliance on foreign fuels, and increased vulnerability during supply disruptions.
Who Benefits
This proposal tilts the market toward those best positioned to absorb or avoid its costs, large multinational companies and ethanol producers, while shifting the burden onto independent refiners:
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Large, integrated or multinational oil companies
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Biofuel producers benefiting from higher mandates and costs
As flexibility disappears and costs rise, smaller and mid-sized refiners are squeezed out, and consumers are left paying more for gas prices with less secure.
