Listen To This Story
When the U.S. House passed its final appropriations bills Thursday night, corn growers across the Midwest were disappointed to find the bill left out a provision expanding E15 gasoline access. Gasoline with ethanol can be cheaper, burn cleaner and funnel Nebraska’s corn production into a domestic industry.
Nebraska’s representatives are all longtime supporters of year-round, nationwide access to E15, including 2nd District Rep. Don Bacon.
“Right now, we have very little exports with corn, and that drives the prices down,” Bacon said. “We need a market for our corn, and if we don't do that, we're going to lose a lot of family farms.”
Farmers left frustrated
Nebraska Corn Growers Association President Michael Dibbern said in a statement that farmers were discouraged by the setback after multiple years of advocacy for E15 legislation.
“Immediate passage of nationwide year-round E15 is essential now; farmers cannot afford further postponement,” Dibbern wrote. “Failure to act can and will inflict real economic harm on rural America, corn farmers and the broader U.S. economy through lost demand, depressed prices and missed opportunities for energy independence.”
The National Corn Growers Association expressed further frustration with Congress.
“Corn growers are disgusted, disappointed and disillusioned that after spending years of calling for passage of E15, Congress has again punted, and it has done so in a spectacularly weak and offensive way,” President Jed Bower wrote in a statement. “Congress is choosing to leave America’s 500,000 corn farmers behind in favor of a handful of refineries.”
Bower mentioned a planned council to create E15 and renewable energy policy, but said it was insufficient because developed E15 legislation already exists.
Testifying in front of the House Rules Committee on Thursday, 3rd District Rep. Adrian Smith said he was “encouraged” by the council's creation, but he will still fight for E15.
“Let me be absolutely clear. This council is not a substitute for action, and I refuse to let it be utilized as a delaying tactic,” Smith said. “We can stick with the bureaucratic and uncertain status quo with patchwork regulations. Or we can work together to take meaningful action that supports America’s farmers, lowers fuel costs for families, and strengthens our nation’s energy security.”
Internal opposition blocks E15 proposals
On a call with reporters Friday, Bacon said E15 supporters in the House “worked their tails off” trying to expand access, but they were faced with heavy opposition.
Bacon said the House Freedom Caucus – a group of staunch Republican representatives whose policies often closely align with President Trump’s agenda – ultimately opposed an E15 provision. While E15 has garnered support across the aisle, and many Freedom Caucus members are from agricultural states that could economically benefit, some of the group members chose to take a firm opposing stance.
“There's people fighting with all they have to defeat E15, and I think they're misguided and they're wrong, but it's just a fact,” Bacon said.
A 10% ethanol gasoline blend (E10) is already widely sold across the country. According to U.S. Department of Energy data, about 40% of total corn bushels were used to make ethanol in 2023.
“E15 is the most important thing we can do for our farmers right now,” Bacon said. “Unfortunately, it gets misconstrued by so many that were trying to force people to put E15 in their cars – no. We just want to make it an option.”
Aside from boosted demand for corn, supporters have other reasons to back biofuels. Ethanol gasoline blends create fewer emissions, can improve fuel economy and often cost less due to subsidies and lower taxes for producers. However, ethanol blends can damage some older cars, and they are less efficient at hotter temperatures.
Opponents say that expanding the U.S. biofuel industry could interfere with the country’s oil production and refineries, citing job creation and national security as important factors in their anti-E15 stance. Congress has also opposed E15 in the past due to concerns it would not meet environmental standards. Ethanol blends evaporate more quickly in hot weather, which can create unwanted emissions.
House Republicans and Democrats eventually compromised on removing the E15 amendment to push the appropriations bills through to the Senate.
“In the end, we could have probably forced it in the House bill, but we think the Senate would not have passed it,” Bacon said. “And then we would have gotten into a shutdown and or a continuing resolution -- which have been worse, right?”
Bacon said Nebraska’s delegation was disappointed with the outcome but sacrificed “perfection” to keep the regular budget process going. Bacon is confident E15 proposals will make a comeback.
“I think we can work our way through this in a smart way and pick up enough of these votes from Texas and Oklahoma that worry about the gasoline industry,” Bacon said.
The Senate will vote on the House appropriations bills within the next week.