The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) led an effort of over 20 free market organizations, including E&E Legal, to send a letter to Congress urging opposition to Renewable Fuel Standard.
The letter continues, in part:
The undersigned organizations write to oppose Section 12501 of the Agricultural Act of 2026. This provision would make the Renewable Fuel Standard permanent, lock small refineries into a government-backed compliance structure that penalizes growth, and raise the cost of transportation fuel for every American consumer. It should be removed from the bill.
Section 12501 permanently authorizes year-round E15 — not because the market demands it, but because ethanol cannot compete without federal mandates, seasonal waivers, RIN credit schemes, and now an Act of Congress making its sale permanent. After twenty years of mandates and subsidies, the ethanol industry still cannot stand on its own. Section 12501 doubles down on that dependency rather than ending it.
