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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.
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