WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is temporarily lifting seasonal gasoline restrictions in an effort to increase the nation’s fuel supply and provide relief to American families facing higher prices at the pump.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, working with Energy Secretary Chris Wright, issued an emergency fuel waiver Thursday under the Clean Air Act.
Beginning Sept. 1, the waiver will allow the sale of E10 gasoline with a higher Reid Vapor Pressure, effectively ending the federal summer-blend gasoline requirement two weeks early.
E10 is gasoline containing up to 10% ethanol. Reid Vapor Pressure measures how easily gasoline evaporates. Federal regulations generally require lower-volatility fuel during the summer because fuel vapors can contribute to ground-level ozone and smog during hot weather.
Those seasonal requirements also limit which gasoline refiners and distributors can sell in particular markets.
By ending the restriction early, the EPA says refiners and fuel suppliers will be able to place hundreds of thousands of additional barrels of gasoline into the domestic market each day. Increased supply could place downward pressure on gasoline prices.
“President Trump has prioritized ensuring American families have affordable gasoline and energy,” Zeldin said. “Throughout this administration, EPA has taken decisive action like issuing RVP waivers to provide relief at the pump and fortify our gasoline supply chain.”
Zeldin said the administration would continue working with federal agencies to increase supply and reduce energy costs.
“Across the administration, we will continue to execute President Trump’s agenda and provide Americans with a prosperous and affordable nation,” Zeldin said.
Wright said the waiver demonstrates the administration’s willingness to use its regulatory authority to respond to tightening fuel supplies.
“Increasing the supply of gasoline means lower prices for American families,” Wright said. “Today’s action is another example of this administration using every available tool to cut red tape, increase the supply of gasoline and lower prices at the pump.”
The national waiver will remain in effect through Sept. 15, the end of the federal summer gasoline control season.
The EPA is also waiving certain state-level boutique fuel requirements in Texas, Arizona and California for the maximum 20-day period permitted under the Clean Air Act. Those states maintain specialized fuel standards that extend beyond the federal control season.
EPA officials said the agency would monitor gasoline supplies and could issue additional waivers if necessary.
The move comes as gasoline prices have climbed amid continuing pressure on global energy markets and concerns about the availability of crude oil and refined petroleum products.
The national average for regular gasoline reached approximately $4.10 per gallon this week, compared with about $3.13 one year earlier, according to industry data cited by Reuters. Prices vary widely by state, with drivers in California and other heavily regulated markets often paying significantly more. Reuters
A fuel waiver cannot solve every problem affecting gasoline prices. Crude oil costs, refinery capacity, transportation expenses, taxes, state regulations and international instability all contribute to the price displayed at the pump.
But when supply is tight, removing unnecessary barriers can help refiners move more fuel into affected markets.
That matters to working Americans.
Higher gasoline prices do not stop at the service station. Transportation costs are built into nearly everything families purchase. Farmers need fuel to operate equipment. Truckers need diesel to deliver food and household goods. Small businesses absorb higher shipping and operating expenses.
Those expenses are eventually passed along to consumers.
Energy affordability is therefore not a separate issue from grocery prices, manufacturing costs or household budgets. It affects the entire economy.
Critics of emergency fuel waivers may raise environmental concerns because higher-volatility gasoline can evaporate more easily during hot weather. That is the reason lower-volatility summer blends were required in the first place.
However, the waiver begins in September, as much of the country moves toward cooler temperatures, and it lasts for a limited period. EPA and Energy Department officials determined that the current supply situation justified temporary action and that the waiver was in the public interest.
The administration is not permanently eliminating every gasoline standard through this order. It is responding to an emergency by ending one seasonal restriction early and temporarily suspending certain state-specific requirements.
Since May 1, the EPA has used emergency waivers to maintain a more uniform national gasoline supply and increase the availability of ethanol-blended fuel.
The agency says states that aligned their requirements with the federal waivers experienced lower gasoline prices. EPA officials criticized New York and California leaders for maintaining additional restrictions that limited the benefits for drivers in those states.
State officials retain authority over some of their own fuel requirements. A federal waiver does not always guarantee that every state will follow the same course.
That means governors and state lawmakers also have a responsibility to examine whether their fuel regulations are increasing costs without providing benefits that justify the burden on families.
America is one of the most energy-rich nations in the world. Its citizens should not be forced to pay unnecessarily high prices because layers of federal and state regulations prevent available fuel from reaching the market.
Temporary waivers are useful during an emergency, but they are not a substitute for a long-term national energy strategy.
The country needs adequate refinery capacity, reliable pipelines, domestic oil production, strong biofuel markets and a regulatory system that protects the environment without strangling supply.
The EPA’s latest waiver is a practical step toward providing immediate relief.
If government restrictions are preventing gasoline from reaching American consumers during a supply crunch, removing those restrictions is common sense.
The full EPA announcement is available through the Environmental Protection Agency.
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