U.S. Senate vote on E15 expansion faces hurdles for biofuels sector

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Dan Blystone

9 hours ago

U.S. Senate vote on E15 expansion faces hurdles for biofuels sector — Senate battle over E15

A long-delayed effort to allow year-round nationwide sales of higher-ethanol E15 gasoline is moving into a difficult Senate phase after clearing the House in May. The proposal now depends on whether supporters can build a broad enough coalition, or attach it to must-pass legislation, to overcome resistance tied to refinery protections and regional political divides.

Highlights

Senate supporters of the E15 expansion are attaching it to larger bills like the Farm Bill or appropriations legislation to overcome a 60-vote filibuster hurdle.
Key negotiations focus on exemptions for small refineries, with senators debating whether the current 75,000 barrels-per-day threshold excludes most refining companies and seeking adjustments.
If the Senate amends or fails to pass the E15 measure before September, the coalition risks collapse and future attempts may shift to the 2027 appropriations bill.

Senate strategy centers on larger legislation

As reported by Reuters, supporters of the measure are pursuing a strategy of attaching the E15 provision to a larger bill that Congress is more likely to pass, while also trying to include concessions that keep the refining industry from actively blocking the effort.

The proposal is entering what backers see as its toughest stage in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster. That requirement is raising the bar well beyond the narrow House approval and is forcing supporters to piece together a more fragile bipartisan alliance across farm-state and refinery-state interests.

Drew Monroe, vice president at Capstone LLC, says the vote threshold remains difficult to reach because many senators are still holding out. He says biofuel advocates are therefore focusing on legislative vehicles such as the Farm Bill, while Renewable Fuels Association Chief Executive Geoff Cooper says an appropriations bill is also a possible route.

If supporters cannot secure enough votes, or if the Senate changes the House bill language, the legislation would have to return to the House. That scenario could jeopardize the coalition that has carried the measure this far.

Refinery exemptions shape negotiations

Negotiations are also turning on how to protect refining interests, particularly around small refinery exemption language in the current proposal. Supporters are trying to win over Republican senators including John Barrasso and John Boozman, whose backing is seen as important but tied to safeguards for in-state refiners that oppose biofuel blending obligations.

Some senators from refining states object to a provision that would grant certain exemptions to refining companies whose plants average 75,000 barrels per day of throughput or less. Critics argue that the threshold leaves out most of the industry because many refineries are owned by larger integrated energy companies with multiple plants.

Cooper says lawmakers from both farm and refinery states are discussing possible adjustments, including changing the 75,000 barrel-per-day threshold and reconsidering how much additional blending larger refiners should absorb to offset exempted volumes. Supporters also expect Democrats to seek concessions on other policy issues, increasing the likelihood that the E15 push becomes part of a broader legislative bargain.

If the measure does not pass in this session, supporters say they will try to place it in later legislation, including the 2027 appropriations bill. Cooper says they still want the effort completed before the end of September.

Our earlier coverage of the House Appropriations Committee’s FY2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development spending bill detailed how lawmakers advanced a $92.224 billion discretionary package while reshaping funding priorities for aviation, surface transportation, and housing programs. We noted the bill’s emphasis on air traffic control hiring and infrastructure upgrades, along with GOP efforts to redirect certain funds toward safety and travel reliability as the appropriations process moved forward.

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