What E-15 gasoline is and why is Pritzker pushing for it amid high gas prices

With the average gas price around $4 nationwide and even more than that in Illinois, drivers are looking for solutions.

Gov. JB Pritzker wants to expand the use of what’s known as E-15 gasoline. He sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging for a swift passage of legislation to permanently allow year-round sales of E15 gasoline.

“It’s game changing in a lot of ways for agriculture, but it also is for consumers,” said Jerry Costello, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

What is Pritzker’s plan and what would the impact be on farmers?

Pritzker sent a letter to members of Congress Thursday asking them to allow E-15 gas year round. Illinois allows this gasoline, but many states restrict it in the summer months because of air pollution concerns. Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency temporarily waived restrictions because of high gas prices.

His administration said the Trump administration’s move to temporarily lift restrictions on summer E-15 sales was “welcomed news,” but he feels the temporary waivers don’t provide the certainty that’s needed around this issue.

Nate Harris, the CEO of the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association, agreed, saying in a statement:

“Long term clarity and stability in the E15 marketplace is the best outcome for Illinois consumers, businesses and farmers. The patchwork of temporary waivers from Washington lead to uncertainty and price increases, then those price increases are felt throughout the economy at the grocery store, delivery services and gas pump.”

Pritzker points to the tariffs and war in Iran as reasons farmers need more stability. Illinois farmers believe their corn would be more in demand if E-15 was sold all year because the ethanol in the gasoline often comes from corn.

“Illinois is the No. 2 producer of corn in the United States. This would mean an increase as far as capacity needs of about 1.5 billion bushels of corn,” said Jerry Costello, the director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Nearly every price for farmers is uncertain currently, from fuel to fertilizer, seed and chemicals, according to David Isermann, a farmer from LaSalle County in north-central Illinois.

“We’ve all been pushing for (E-15) to be able to have a little more stable use of our corn crop, because we usually produce in excess. So yeah, it will be good for us. It’ll be good for consumers,” said David Isermann, a corn and soybean farmer from LaSalle County in north-central Illinois.

So, what is E-15 gas?

E-15 gas, also known as unleaded 88, is made with 15 percent ethanol, instead of the normal 10 percent found at the pump. Not every gas station carries it.

“It’s almost akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. Being able to find E-15 is pretty rare. But where it’s offered, it can be bought at generally a 10 to 20 cent a gallon discount to regular gasoline,” said Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

Costello said the goal is to have more gas stations carrying it.

“Right now, there’s about 3,000 stations in the United States that have E-15. Most of those are in the Midwest,” Costello said.

Which cars can use it?

In 2011, EPA approved E15 for use in light-duty conventional vehicles of model year 2001 and newer, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. These vehicles cannot use E15:

-Motorcycles

-Vehicles with heavy-duty engines, such as school buses and delivery trucks

-Off-road vehicles, such as boats and snowmobiles

-Engines in off-road equipment, such as chain saws and gasoline lawn mowers

-Conventional vehicles older than model year 2001.

A spokesperson for AAA said drivers should check their owner’s manuals to make sure their vehicles can use this type of gas.

“Year‑round E15 sales would give drivers another option at the pump. In some cases, that could mean a lower price per gallon. It’s also important to note that ethanol contains less energy than conventional gasoline, so some drivers may see slightly lower fuel economy, which can affect overall savings,” AAA said in a statement.