A federal appeals court on Friday struck down a U.S. rule put in place under former President Donald Trump to expand sales of corn-based ethanol, drawing ire from farm and biofuel groups that vowed to work to ensure that such sales continue.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) exceeded its authority by lifting summertime restrictions on the sale of a 15% ethanol fuel blend known as E15. The decision came in a lawsuit by an oil refining trade group challenging the rule.
The EPA in 2019 extended a waiver that allowed year-round sales of E15. Ethanol producers cheered that move, as it would allow expanded sales of the blend.
The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), which sued the EPA, welcomed the D.C. Circuit’s ruling.
“There is no ambiguity in statute and the previous administration’s reinterpretation overstepped the will of Congress,” AFPM President Chet Thompson said in a statement.
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