Shutdown could slow progress on selling E-15 all year

The government shutdown could delay the year-round sales of E 15 ethanol fuel blends previously promised by the Trump administration. Bloomberg News reports the government shutdown could last a "long time," and the schedule for getting approval of the higher ethanol blend was already ambitious before the shutdown. The Environmental Protection Agency had planned to present a final rule in May, just four weeks before existing restrictions on 15 percent ethanol begin for 2019. However, with the EPA largely halted due to the shutdown, that timeline is in jeopardy. Renewable Fuels Association president Geoff Cooper said the shutdown "is making a tight timeline even tighter." Ethanol producers, meanwhile, are tasked with facing historically low ethanol prices. Allowing year-round E-15 sales is thought to provide a small boost in demand.