Senate Ag Chair John Boozman, speaking at an Agri-Pulse forum, said it may be possible to attach year-round E15 to a Senate farm bill as he pushes back on oil industry demands to exclude small refiners from any deal.
Boozman says he’d be glad to include year-round E15 in a Senate farm bill if he can get a sign-off from the Energy and Public Works Committee, which has E15 jurisdiction.
And that may be necessary, given oil industry objections holding up a year-round E15 deal, including in Boozman’s home state of Arkansas.
“A few months ago, they came out and said, ‘We’re for it, but you’ve got to get rid of these small refineries.’ And I happen to have one in my state. It’s the only one in my state that produces gasoline and jet fuel.”
Forcing fuel prices even higher if that refiner shuts down, a problem for other states with small refiners like Tennessee and Oklahoma. But Boozman will keep pushing for year-round E15.
“So, we’re very much in favor of getting E15 done. I’m very much in favor of the Fisher bill. But I’m not in favor of somehow, the big oil refineries forcing consolidation with the smaller, especially during this time.”
But Boozman remains confident the problem can be worked out, especially with the president acceding to Ag lawmakers’ request to endorse year-round E15.