President Donald Trump's administration has overturned a rule that banned the use of gasoline mixed with 15 percent ethanol (E15) during the summer months, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2019) President Donald Trump's administration has overturned a rule that banned the use of gasoline mixed with 15 percent ethanol (E15) during the summer months, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement on Friday."As President Trump promised, EPA is approving the year-round sale of E15 in time for summer driving season, giving drivers more choices at the pump," Wheeler said.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue welcomed the rule change, saying it would help farmers and improve air quality.
"This move to approve the year-round use of E15 [15 percent ethanol in gasoline] in time for the summer driving season provides consumers with more choices when they fill up at the pump, driving demand for our farmers and improving the air we breathe," Perdue said in a press release.
The restrictions were imposed by Trump's predecessor Barack Obama in 2011 in an effort to reduce smog pollution.
Farmer groups had lobbied to overturn the restrictions, which they said had hurt farmers by reducing demand for corn-based fuel.
But the move could still face legal challenges from the US oil industry, which fears reduced demand as a result of the rule change, as well as auto manufacturers, which claim the new mix can damage car engines.
Numerous environmental groups have also voiced opposition to the rule change and could seek a court injunction to block it.
