RFA Urges CARB to Move Quickly for E15 Availability in California

(Renewable Fuels Association) As Californians continue to face the highest fuel prices in the country, the Renewable Fuels Association today urged the California Air Resources Board to quickly finalize proposed regulations allowing the sale of lower-cost E15. In comments submitted to CARB today, RFA noted that cleaner-burning E15 could save the state’s drivers billions of dollars in fuel purchases. CARB will hold a hearing and vote on the adoption of the E15 regulation next week.

“Expanding access to E15 will provide consumers with another gasoline option, expand the pool of available fuel supply, and utilize ethanol’s value as a low-carbon, high-octane, cost-competitive blending component,” wrote Maddie Jenks, RFA director of regulatory affairs. “A workable E15 framework can therefore provide both consumer savings and greater flexibility in California’s gasoline supply. Prompt finalization will provide suppliers, terminals, marketers, and retailers with the regulatory certainty necessary to make supply and investment decisions and will allow E15 to reach California consumers as soon as practicable.”

AAA today reports the average price of gasoline in California at above $6 per gallon. RFA’s comments noted that analysis by economists at the University of California, Berkeley and the U.S. Naval Academy estimated that E15 could reduce gasoline prices for California consumers by approximately 20 cents per gallon, resulting in approximately $2.7 billion in annual consumer savings. More recently, analysis by an independent petroleum refining expert found E15’s national average cost benefits have averaged 57 cents per gallon since the beginning of the Iran conflict.

RFA’s comments also encouraged CARB to work closely with the state fire marshal to address the E15 compatibility of vapor recovery equipment, which is the final marketplace impediment preventing retailers from offering the fuel: “CARB should continue coordinating with OSFM and other agencies on equipment implementation, but those efforts should proceed in parallel with finalization of the fuel rule.”

Jenks noted that California has completed the substantial technical work necessary to establish permanent E15 requirements. The Legislature has unanimously authorized E15, CARB has completed its multimedia evaluation, California-specific emissions testing has been conducted, and the board has developed a regulatory framework for incorporating E15 into the existing gasoline program. RFA began working with CARB in 2018 to undertake the required testing and analysis of E15.

Among the key points in the comments, Jenks expressed RFA’s strong support for CARB’s:

RFA has actively participated throughout CARB’s entire E15 rulemaking process, including through comments submitted in response to CARB's November 2025 E15 Scoping Workshop. In those comments, RFA emphasized that E15 should be incorporated into California’s existing gasoline program and that suppliers should retain flexibility regarding how E15 is produced and distributed. READ MORE