Now, higher blends of ethanol are fueling competition in the Ohio retail market too. Consumers are regularly saving twenty cents or more per gallon by opting to fill up with Unleaded 88 that is safe for cars, light duty trucks and SUVs 2001 and newer. Competition means real dollars stay in the pockets of real people every day. That’s why I’m proud to have seen bipartisan support from both of Ohio’s US Senators to expand access to these fuels.
But the US EPA is trying to take that choice away from Ohio’s consumers through rules packages that will dramatically favor electric vehicles, and lead to a nationwide ban on internal combustion engines. That’s not the right solution for Ohio.
Grain farmers, consumers, fuel retailers, car manufacturers — and their labor union workers — all stand to lose in this EV only scheme. That’s why, in recent years, you’ve seen groups like the American Farm Bureau and the UAW join forces in historic new partnerships to promote the future of liquid fuels. Consumers deserve real choices in the vehicles they can buy, not mandates from unelected bureaucrats.
We can deliver low carbon fuels; we’ve done it already. We can drive costs down with high quality sources of octane like Ohio-made ethanol; we’ve already done it. And we can empower consumers through competition; we’ve already done it. If the Biden administration is serious about climate change, lowering costs, and taking care of the American worker, they should look to a proven solution that’s ready to go. The US EPA should lean in on American made biofuels — fuels that are manufactured here, from the crops we grow here, that can work in the cars we build here.
Tadd Nicholson is the Executive Director of Ohio Corn & Wheat.
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