EPA ISSUES EARLY E15 SUMMERTIME WAIVER AND ADDRESSES E10 STANDARDS IN SEVEN MIDWESTERN STATES

Regulatory Alert

EPA ISSUES EARLY E15 SUMMERTIME WAIVER AND ADDRESSES E10 STANDARDS IN SEVEN MIDWESTERN STATES

EMA Regulatory Counsel Contacts: Jeff Leiter and Jorge Roman

Wednesday, March 25, 2026 – EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced today that the agency will issue an emergency waiver authorizing nationwide E15 sales during the 2026 summer driving season. The waiver takes effect May 1 and is expected to run in successive 20-day increments through September 15. The earlier start than last year is intended to give terminal operators and retailers additional lead time to prepare for the June 1–September 15 summer driving season when E15 sales are otherwise restricted under the Clean Air Act’s Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) limits.

EPA also acted to address E10 standards in seven Midwest states — Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin — that previously petitioned EPA to eliminate the 1-psi RVP waiver. By restoring that waiver, EPA ensures E10 and E15 are sold on equal footing in those markets, reducing the risk of supply disruptions and cost disparities that harmed distributors and retailers in 2025.

“For branded fuel marketers, the practical implications are significant,” said EMA President Rob Underwood. “Branded marketers, however, need to confirm with their suppliers whether summer-grade blendstock specifications are being adjusted in light of the restored E10 waiver in the affected Midwest states.” Marketers operating in those seven states who source from terminals that had already transitioned to lower-RVP summer-grade product should verify current terminal inventory positions and pricing. Branded jobbers with supply agreements tied to posted rack pricing should also be alert to potential short-term price volatility as terminals and refiners respond to the earlier-than-usual waiver timing.

Separately, the Trump administration is expected to release final 2026–2027 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) at a farm event scheduled for this Friday at the White House. EPA Administrator Zeldin has said that the rule will be finalized before the end of this month. Reports indicate the final RVO levels will not materially differ from the June 2025 proposed volumes, which called for significant increases in total renewable fuel obligations while reducing RINs generated from imported feedstocks — a provision that could modestly tighten RIN supplies and affect compliance costs for obligated parties. Reports also differ on reallocations of RVOs from small refinery exemptions. EMA will provide a further analysis when the RVOs are finalized.