EPA to try to fight high gas prices at the pump with ethanol blend this summer
CBSNov 27, 2021
The Facts
Biden visited Iowa on Tues. to announce that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would temporarily waive the summertime ban on E15 gasoline. Biden said waiving the ban was done in order to lower the price at the pump.
E15 is an ethanol-gasoline blend; it contains a mix of regular gasoline and 15% corn-based ethanol, rather than the 10% of ethanol that standard gas contains. Because E15 gas contains less crude oil, switching to it could lower gas prices, however, energy experts believe the impact could be minimal.
The Spin
Republican narrative
Biden is letting visions of green energy drive this gas price shock. It's outrageous that the US may be potentially considering imports from anti-American nations. Biden needs to open up domestic drilling asap - all the oil that Americans need is already under their feet.
Democratic narrative
It's wrong to blame Biden. COVID and its cascading effects drove the energy crisis - not drilling leases, the Keystone pipeline, or green energy. OPEC+ held back supply as pandemic restrictions relaxed, and the Russia-Ukraine war only adds complexity. US Presidents have very little impact on short-term supply, and the right's argument is disingenuous.
Cynical narrative
Ironically, Biden's embrace of fossil fuels will dissuade environmentally-focused voters whom the Democrats need at the polls this fall. The awkwardness of the energy crisis puts the climate crisis more on the back burner during this important election stretch.
