Midwest could add more ethanol to gasoline under EPA plan

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gasoline with higher blends of ethanol could be sold year-round in eight Midwestern states beginning in 2024 under a rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposed rule released Wednesday is a victory for the biofuels industry, which for years has pushed to allow sales of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol during the summer. That move hasn’t been allowed because of concerns that it would worsen smog during hot weather. The industry and members of Congress welcomed the EPA’s proposal, which had been requested by governors in the eight states, but they questioned why the new rules couldn’t begin this summer. Under the proposal, the higher blends could be sold during the summer in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.