Voters And E15, The Road To Iowa -- October 30, 2018

E15: I'm impressed voters are watching so closely. From the linked poll:

President Trump recently instructed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take steps that would allow gasoline blends containing up to 15 percent ethanol (E15) to be sold year-round rather than just eight months out of the year.

When it announced the move, the administration claimed that expanding the availability of E15 “will strengthen America’s domestic energy production and provide a boost to America’s farmers.” According to the results of a new national poll commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute (API), most voters surveyed have reservations about the administration’s E15 proposal.

“Consumers are speaking loud and clear,” API Vice President of Downstream and Industry Operations Frank Macchiarola said in a written statement outlining the results. “E15 is a symptom of the broken Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and it’s time for real reform. There is bipartisan agreement that the RFS is a failure and we urge the administration to support consensus legislation to significantly reform the RFS for the benefit of all consumers.”

The telephone survey of 1,001 registered voters, conducted Oct. 12 through 16, 2018, by Harris Poll, concluded that:

• 79 percent of voters are concerned about expanded E15 sales and vehicle incompatibility
• 83 percent of voters are concerned that consumers could pay higher pump prices if fuel retailers need to invest in new infrastructure to accommodate certain fuel types
• 68 percent of voters are concerned about consumers accidentally using E15 and subsequently damaging their engines
• 81 percent of voters are concerned that government requirements could exceed the 10-percent level of ethanol in the U.S. fuel supply and, according to API, could raise gasoline prices by up to 26 cents per gallon