For more than a decade, lawmakers have fought to make E15 available year-round. In May, that fight reached a pivotal moment with support stretching across party lines and far beyond the Corn Belt.
Washington, D.C., is not exactly known for finding common ground. But every once in a while, an issue cuts through the partisan gridlock.
For year-round E15, that moment came in May.
After years of advocacy, legislation allowing the nationwide, year-round sale of E15 passed the U.S. House — with lawmakers from both parties and from districts stretching from the Midwest to Long Island, California, and Alaska joining the effort.
The vote was the culmination of years of work by biofuel champions who had continued pushing the issue from one Congress to the next. They advocated individually to their colleagues, spoke on the House floor, held press conferences, and sent letters pressing leadership to act.
The reason was simple: They believed the stakes were too high to keep waiting.
A decade in the making
Few lawmakers have been involved in the fight longer than Representative Adrian Smith (R-Neb.).
A co-chair of the Biofuels Caucus, Smith has introduced legislation allowing year-round E15 sales since 2015, working to deliver legislative certainty to farmers, biofuel producers, and fuel retailers.
Ahead of the House vote, Smith pointed to the savings E15 can provide drivers in his district, noting that E15 lowers fuel costs by up to 52 cents a gallon.
“The question is no longer whether E15 makes sense; it does,” Smith said. “The question is whether Congress will allow consumers to have this access… Together, we can finally deliver the certainty, affordability, and energy independence the American people deserve.”
Smith was far from alone.
For House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), this had been a long time coming. Just days into 2026, he saw the effort gaining traction.
“I’ve been advocating for [E15] for years,” Emmer stated in a January interview. “The good news for ag country is that you’ve got a lot of allies. There are a lot of people who understand the importance of year-round E15, and I think we’re going to
see it.”
And allies there were. As the House vote approached, it became increasingly clear that E15 was not a Republican or Democratic issue — or even solely a Midwest issue.
Building a bipartisan case
In February, Representative Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.) led a group of Democrats urging their Republican counterparts to bring the bill up
for consideration.
Her argument centered on the economic pressures facing American agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture projected farm income would fall by more than $4 billion in 2026, she noted.
“Congress must act now or see additional harm to American agriculture,” McDonald Rivet said.
Representative Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, also connected E15 to the economic challenges facing farmers and consumers.
“Tariffs and trade wars have shoved corn and soybean farmers out of their largest markets, and the war in Iran is hitting every single person I know in the pocketbook when it comes to gas prices,” Craig said.
For Craig, those pressures made year-round E15 an opportunity to address two problems at once: expanding markets for farmers while helping lower costs at the pump. That same connection resonated with lawmakers representing urban and suburban communities.
Ahead of the vote, Representatives Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) and Nikki
Budzinski (D-Ill.) joined a bipartisan press conference with corn growers and coalition members.
“Consumers need year-round E15. Farmers need year-round E15. Working families need year-round E15. People in urban districts like mine need year-round E15. And so do communities across rural America,” Brown said.
Budzinski put the issue in even broader terms. “Because this is bigger than politics,” she said. “It’s about whether Congress is finally ready to provide the certainty our rural communities have been asking for — for far too long.”
Then came the vote.
The path to 218.
With a slim Republican majority in the House, bipartisan support was critical.
When the legislation came to the floor in May, 95 Democrats joined Republicans in voting for year-round E15.
The support included Democratic leadership, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) among those supporting the bill.
The coalition was notable not simply because of its size, but because of where those lawmakers came from.
Representatives from agriculture-heavy districts understood the importance of creating additional demand for American corn. Others saw E15 through the lens of energy independence, consumer affordability, or access to more fuel choices.
Representative Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, emphasized the energy implications of the legislation.
“And that’s why we’re here today — to preserve and expand the availability of a cheaper and cleaner fuel option for the driving public, blending more biofuels like ethanol into gasoline, displaces demand for petroleum, helping to bring down gas prices for consumers,” Pallone said on the House floor.
Representative Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) highlighted both sides of the equation, pointing to expanded domestic demand for bioethanol as well as the $150 million in savings for drivers during the summer months.
“Permitting E15 sales obviously grows domestic demand for ethanol. It’s nearly 7 billion gallons every year,” Landsman said. “That will make a huge difference for our farmers who are struggling with higher costs associated with these tariffs.”
From the Corn Belt to the coasts
The geography of the coalition tells its own story. Support came from traditional agricultural states, but also from districts far removed from the Corn Belt.
Representative Dina Titus of Nevada, John Mannion of New York, and Jimmy Panetta of California backed the bill. Republican support stretched from Andrew Garbarino of New York’s Long Island district to Jay Obernolte in California’s Sierra foothills, Nick Begich representing Alaska, and Brian Jack of Georgia.
Representative Don Davis (D-N.C.) saw E15 through the lens of his constituents' rising cost of living.
“The number one issue I hear from families across North Carolina is the rising cost of living, and with growing instability in the Middle East raising concerns about gas prices, people are looking for relief wherever they can find it,” Davis said. “Expanding access to E15 helps lower fuel costs for consumers, strengthens domestic energy production, and creates stronger markets for American-grown corn.”
Representative Josh Riley (D-N.Y.) likewise focused on what consumers were seeing at the pump, noting that gas prices in his district had climbed sharply.
“This bill is going to cut through a bunch of red tape and make sure more affordable gasoline can get onto the market,” Riley said.
The message was echoed by lawmakers across the country.
Representative Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) framed E15 as a matter of consumer choice and relief at the pump.
“Most importantly, it’s a win for the free market and the American people who are paying more at the pump,” Moran said.
And Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) pointed to three concerns he consistently hears from constituents: lower prices at the pump, American energy production, and the freedom to make their own choices. “Year-round E15 addresses all of those concerns,” Johnson said.
A fight bigger than a vote
The May House vote was a milestone. But the story behind it is bigger than a single roll call.
For years, E15 was often viewed primarily through an agricultural lens — a policy particularly relevant to the states where corn is grown, and bioethanol
is produced.
The House vote demonstrated a broader reach.
Farmers are still at the center of the conversation. Representatives Brad Finstad (R-Minn.), a fourth-generation farmer, and Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.) both emphasized emphasized the need for stronger, more certain markets for American-grown corn.
“I’ve had many conversations with my neighbor farmers, and I know — by hearing from what they’re telling me and firsthand, in my experience as a farmer — that we are facing uncertainty on our input costs and uncertainty in the global markets,” Finstad said. “We need a new domestic opportunity for our corn. E15 delivers on that.”
But the coalition now extends beyond agriculture.
For some lawmakers, E15 is about household budgets. For others, it is about domestic energy production, energy independence, consumer choice, or
reducing reliance on imported petroleum. The policy did not need every lawmaker to see energy or agriculture the same way. It needed enough lawmakers to recognize where those priorities intersect.
And in May, they did.
The fight for year-round E15 has taken more than a decade, crossed countless congressional sessions, and required persistence from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The House vote showed that the case for E15 resonates.
From a fourth-generation farmer in Minnesota to a family filling up in North Carolina. From corn growers in Iowa to drivers in New York. From the heart of the Corn Belt to the hustle of Long Island.
Different districts. Different priorities. Different political parties.
But one common theme: E15 isn’t just part of the solution. It is the solution.
