E.P.A. Waives Summer Gasoline Rules to Expand E15 Sales

Fuel waiver

The Trump administration said Wednesday that it would temporarily suspend some anti-smog restrictions on summertime gasoline blends in an effort to ease a recent spike in fuel prices tied to the war with Iran.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued emergency waivers allowing expanded sales this summer of a gasoline blend known as E15, which contains 15 percent ethanol. More than 3,000 stations nationwide sell E15, which is typically offered at a discount to other gasoline blends but is often restricted from June to September because it evaporates more easily in hot weather, potentially worsening smog and reducing efficiency.

Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, said the agency was acting to strengthen domestic fuel supplies and provide relief to drivers ahead of the summer driving season.

Price impact

Analysts said the move could reduce gasoline prices by 10 cents to 25 cents per gallon in some parts of the country as typical summer price increases begin. That would only partly offset the effects of the war with Iran, which has constrained global crude oil supplies and pushed up gasoline and diesel prices in the United States.

Under federal law, the E.P.A. may waive summertime restrictions on E15 if it determines that U.S. fuel supplies are at risk. Zeldin said the agency foresaw the potential for a disruption to the American fuel supply.

Recent precedent

The Trump administration issued the same waiver last summer. The Biden administration had also granted similar waivers each year after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The latest action will allow broader summer sales of E15 during a period of higher fuel-market pressure, while reviving a policy the federal government has repeatedly used when officials judged fuel supplies to be under threat.