Trump Administration Moves to Lift Restriction on Ethanol Sales Despite Pollution Link

The White House released a memo Monday that would permit the sale of “higher blends of ethanol in vehicle fuels” year-round, despite evidence that burning ethanol at warm temperatures causes “heightened ground-level ozone pollution and smog.” The Hill reports that the memo calls for the sale of E15—a blend of 15 percent ethanol in gasoline—at all times of the year. Previously, E15 could not be sold between June 1 and Sept. 15. As recently as 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that E15 could not be sold “due to the air pollution restrictions regulated under the Clean Air Act.” A White House official told reporters that the decision was in line with the president’s wishes to support the “free market,” and another official said the memo “isn’t directly related to climate change.” The EPA will now draft formal legislation based on the E15 memo and the draft will go through a formal comment period.