By Kip Eideberg, Senior Vice President of Government and Industry Relations, Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.)
Editor's Note: On May 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1346 (in part due to AEM's and its member companies advocacy efforts), allowing for the year-round sales of E15. It now heads to the Senate for further consideration. The following was originally published by Agri-Pulse.
Congress’s recent failure to pass legislation allowing for year‑round sales of E15 — a fuel blend containing 15 percent ethanol — is a big missed opportunity. Lawmakers from both parties have spent years telling farmers that expanding ethanol markets is a shared priority. Yet when the moment came to include year-round E15 in this year’s farm bill, Congress failed to deliver.
E15 is a bipartisan policy that is essential to growing rural economies. At a time when farmers are facing significant financial pressures, E15 would provide much-needed stability and a market for their crops. Without it, farmers are exposed to the same seasonal restrictions that have long undermined ethanol demand. For corn growers, who rely heavily on ethanol markets, the failure is not abstract; it is financial, immediate and deeply personal.
Farmers cannot afford another blow. Across the Midwest, producers are facing a convergence of pressures: rising input costs, volatile commodity prices, extreme weather and tightening credit conditions. Farm bankruptcies have ticked upward again after several years of relative stability. In some states, lenders are warning that more foreclosures may be on the horizon as operating loans become harder to secure.
Behind those numbers are real families. Rural mental health advocates have been sounding the alarm for years about the emotional toll of prolonged economic stress. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that farmers face disproportionately high suicide rates compared with many other professions. Local newspapers across farm country continue to publish heartbreaking accounts of producers overwhelmed by debt, uncertainty and the feeling that Washington has forgotten them.
That is why the failure to pass year‑round E15 legislation stings so sharply. It was not just another bill; it was a chance for Congress to show that it cares about the long-term success of rural communities and is willing to act on their behalf.
On top of the impact to rural communities, every American who owns a car stands to benefit from lower gas prices. According to one estimate, E15 can save drivers 10 to 30 cents per gallon compared to regular fuel.
E15 would boost corn demand, lower fuel prices, and give farmers a measure of stability. The policy has broad support from farm groups, biofuel producers, and even many fuel retailers. In an era when bipartisan agreement is rare, this is one of the few issues where consensus seemed within reach. Instead, rural communities watched that consensus crumble.
However, Congress still has an opportunity to keep its promise to rural America. The House of Representatives is scheduled to hold a standalone vote on May 13, and the Senate has the opportunity to pass year-round E15 sales when it takes up the farm bill. Doing so would send a clear message to rural America that Congress has its back.
While year-round E15 will not solve every challenge facing America’s farmers, it is an important step in the right direction. At a time when rural communities are grappling with economic strain, rising foreclosures, and a mental health crisis, now is the time to deliver much-needed certainty.
U.S. Rep. Mike Bost has represented Illinois' 12th District in Congress since 2015, where he serves on the House Agriculture Committee.
