E15 ethanol farm bill 2026 momentum is building fast as the House prepares for a floor vote. Representatives Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota and Nikki Budzinski of Illinois submitted bipartisan amendment #289 to the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 that would permanently authorize year-round, nationwide sales of E15 — gasoline blended with 15 percent corn-based ethanol instead of the 10 percent standard blend sold at most pumps today. The amendment would also overhaul how small refineries request exemptions from federal biofuel-blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard. President Trump has called on Congress to deliver an E15 bill and pledged to sign it into law without delay.
The coalition behind the amendment is unusually broad. The American Petroleum Institute, American Farm Bureau Federation, Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, and groups representing truck stops, convenience stores, and fuel retailers all signed a joint letter to Congress urging passage. “This amendment reflects a unique area of agreement across the fuel and agriculture supply chain,” the letter states. That alignment between Big Oil’s trade association and corn farmers is notable given their typically adversarial relationship on ethanol policy.
E15 ethanol farm bill 2026 amendment could add 2 billion bushels of corn demand at the worst possible time
For corn farmers, the timing of an E15 win would be critical. More than one-third of all U.S. corn produced each year goes to ethanol production. A permanent year-round E15 mandate would increase domestic corn demand by more than 2 billion bushels annually, according to industry estimates. That additional demand would arrive as corn farmers are entering their fourth straight year of negative profitability, with production costs of approximately $5 per bushel against a market price of $4.20. An AFBF survey released last week found 70 percent of U.S. farmers cannot afford all the fertilizer they need for the 2026 season. “With high gas prices pinching the American consumer, it is beyond time for Congress to quickly pass E15 legislation that will reduce fuel costs while boosting demand for American farmers,” said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.
Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor called the amendment “a landmark, bipartisan solution” and said it would save consumers up to 30 cents per gallon while expanding markets for American farmers. Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa, vice chair of the congressional task force working on E15, said the amendment was written to address all stakeholders’ concerns. Rep. Tracey Mann of Kansas told Agri-Pulse the time is right: “Our farmers need year-round E15. A vast majority of the industry supports it.” For more on corn farmers’ financial situation entering the 2026 season, Agroinformacion covered the Farmer’s Keeper survey showing 20% of corn farmers have already cut their acreage due to fertilizer price pressure.
Independent refiners still blocking E15 and the amendment faces a tough path through the Senate
Not everyone is on board. The Fueling American Jobs Coalition — representing independent refiners and union workers — rejected the proposal, calling it “an attempt to push already unachievable ethanol mandates higher, adding to what is already a 29-cent-per-gallon hidden gas tax on American consumers.” The coalition says changes to the Small Refinery Exemption process disproportionately hurt midsize refineries that are not large enough to manage RFS compliance costs. An anonymous lawmaker told Agri-Pulse that the standoff between ethanol backers and independent refiners has reached a “boiling point” in Congress. Even if the House approves the amendment with the farm bill, E15 legislation would then need sign-off from the Senate Environment Committee — which has jurisdiction over the RFS — before it could reach the president’s desk. NCGA President Jed Bower called out oil companies for what he called “greedy actions” stalling legislation that farmers and consumers both need. The original reporting was published by Agri-Pulse on April 22, 2026.