In his testimony, Werner urged the EPA to use its existing authority to prevent the disruption of E15 sales this year by extending the RVP allowance from June 1 to Sept 15.

"By taking this no-cost action quickly, the EPA can provide certainty to fuel producers and retailers and ensure that the benefits of E15 will remain available to Minnesota consumers in the short -term," he said.

Werner said any interruption in E15 sales this year would have an "outsized impact" in Minnesota. 

"The delay in implementing the Governors' petition has created immediate uncertainty about whether the 430 retail stations in Minnesota that sell E15 can continue to do so starting June 1," he said.

Werner added that the emergency RVP waiver granted last summer enabled retail stations in Minnesota to sell over 105 million gallons of E15 in 2022, a 21 percent increase from 2021.

"Failure to extend the RVP allowance this summer would halt our positive momentum, create confusion in the marketplace, and increase carbon emissions, air pollution, and costs at the pump," he said.

Read Werner's full testimony here.