With the price of regular unleaded gas hitting record dollar amounts across the U.S., policymakers are stepping up to address the issue and offer solutions.
Gina McCarthy, National Climate Advisor, who convened the tenth meeting with the National Climate Task Force, said it is focused on how agencies can “continue supporting the president’s commitment to addressing Putin’s price hike from his unprovoked war against Ukraine, minimizing pain at the pump here at home, continue rapidly deploying clean energy, and keep reducing emissions that cause climate change.”
Year-round E15 sales are one of the solutions on the table. Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, says the possibility is “in the menu of options” being taken into consideration for lowering pump prices.
While Psaki didn’t confirm a final decision has been made, she said increasing oil supply is a “big priority and focus” for the Biden administration at this time.
Weighing the Alternatives
In early March, Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) led a bipartisan group of senators in penning a letter to President Biden, urging his administration to mitigate rising fuel costs by increasing higher blends of American biofuels.
“Preserving the option for American drivers to select E15 throughout the busy summer driving season will benefit our families and businesses while blunting a vital source of funding for Vladimir Putin’s campaign of destruction,” the Senators wrote. “Committing to this policy now will send an important signal of certainty and stability to fuel retailers currently or considering selling E15 in the year ahead.
President Biden says there is another option to be considered. He accused the U.S. oil industry of not doing enough to pump more oil, saying companies are sitting on thousands of unused permits and putting profits ahead of ramping up production.
Pleading the Ethanol Case
Following the Climate Task Force meeting, Skor submitted a letter to Jennifer Granholm, Department of Energy (DOE) secretary, requesting her department address the “inaccurate and misleading” study that declares corn-ethanol is 24% more carbon-intensive than conventional gasoline.
In her letter, Skor pointed-out the study claims to have been partially funded by the government, further increasing uncertainty. She says failing to address the study’s inconsistencies could yield major consequences and suggested the Task Force support studies that follow the task force’s own research models.
“According to recent research by the Rhodium Group, our industry’s contributions in reaching net-zero emissions targets and decarbonizing the transportation sector will be necessary,” says Skor. “The ethanol industry is continually finding new ways to innovate and reduce emissions throughout its production cycle, including by creating new applications for hard-to-decarbonize industries like aviation. We must rely on the best and most widely accepted science to achieve our climate goals and attain net-zero emissions by 2050.”
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