OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cleared the way Friday for a higher blend of ethanol to be sold nationwide for the third straight summer.

The agency announced an emergency waiver that will exempt gasoline blended with 15% ethanol from an existing summertime ban.

Gasoline with 10% ethanol is sold nationwide, but the higher blend has been prohibited during summer because of concern it could make smog worse during warm weather.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the waiver is warranted because of Russia’s "unjustified, unprovoked, and unconscionable war against Ukraine” and the conflict in the Middle East, which he said puts pressure on the global fuel supply. 

The biofuels industry and politicians in Midwestern states where ethanol is produced from corn praised EPA’s decision. They have portrayed ethanol as a product that helps farmers, reduces cost at the pump and reduces greenhouse gas because the fuel burns more cleanly.

Environmentalists said ethanol production can increase carbon release because it results in more corn production, leading to additional use of fertilizer and release of nitrate.

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