Biden to suspend ethanol fuel ban to lower gas prices this summer

April 12 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced plans to suspend a federal rule to expand the use of E15 blend gasoline in another effort to give motorists more affordable prices at the pump.

The announcement comes as Biden tries to solve a major pocketbook issue for Americans ahead of the midterm elections in November. According to AAA on Tuesday, the national average cost of gasoline is $4.10 per gallon.

Biden said the Environmental Protection Agency will allow E15, which uses ethanol, to be sold this summer. A federal ban prevents E15 from being sold from June 1 through Sept. 15 because of air pollution and smog concerns during the summer months.

"E15 is about 10 cents per gallon cheaper than E10," Biden said during his announcement from Meno, Iowa. "Some gas stations offer an even bigger discount than that.

"But many of the gas stations that sell it ... are required to stop selling it in the summer, but with this wavier, on June 1, you're not going to show up and see a bag over the pump with the cheapest gas. You're going to be able to keep filling up with E15 and it's going to solve a whole problem.

Ethanol fuels are produced from biomass such as corn and sugarcane. Iowa was chosen as the site of Biden's announcement due to its vast corn industry.

All gasoline in the United States contains about 10% ethanol. Raising that level to a 15% blend will save drivers about 10 cents per gallon, White House officials said.

"An emergency waiver can help increase fuel supplies, give consumers more choice to get lower prices and provide savings to many families," the White House said in a statement.

"At current prices, E15 can save a family 10 cents per gallon of gas on average, and many stores sell E15 at an even greater discount.

"For working families -- families eager to travel and visit their loved ones -- that will add up to real savings," it added. "Allowing higher levels of blending will also reduce our dependency on foreign fuels as we rely more heavily on home-grown biofuels."

The Energy Department said E15 is sold at 2,300 stations in 30 states, but that's only a small part of the 150,000 fuel stations in the U.S. passenger gasoline market.

Ethanol fuel is produced from biomass such as corn, which is farmed in large quantities in Iowa, where Biden will announce the rule suspension on Tuesday. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI

Biden has repeatedly called the gas surge "Putin's price hike," a result of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

"The actions of a dictator half a world away should not impact what families pay at the pump here at home," the White House statement said.

AAA said on Monday that the cost of gasoline in the United States has declined by about 8 cents per gallon over the past week. Biden has made other moves to help lower costs, including tapping the U.S. strategic reserve for an extra 180 million barrels over the next several months.