E15 Waiver Fuels Relief For Wisconsin Farmers, Worry For Environmentalists
Corn growers hail higher-ethanol summer sales as advocates warn of water and air risks.
Corn grows in a field Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, at Zac Soltvedt’s field in Seymour, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Wisconsin corn growers are applauding the Trump administration’s decision to allow the sale of a higher ethanol fuel this summer.
But environmental advocates in the state are worried the push toward E15 could lead to negative effects on Wisconsinites’ water and health.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it would temporarily allow nationwide sales of E15.
The agency said the move is meant to “ensure that gas prices remain affordable for all Americans through the summer.” Gas prices have surged in the last month as the war in Iran has disrupted shipments of oil from the Middle East.
The gasoline blend with 15 percent ethanol is typically prohibited in warm weather because of concerns it could worsen smog.
Paul Jarvis, president of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, said this year’s waiver is a welcome move for farmers, who are facing low crop prices and high production costs.
“We’ve grown some big crops the last couple years, which is good, but there’s just a lot of supply hanging over the market,” said Jarvis, who farms with his family in Wautoma. “We’re looking for more ways for better demand, and E15 is one of them.”
It’s not the first time the agency has waived the restriction in order to allow nationwide sales. Wisconsin and seven other Midwestern states started offering year-round E15 sales last spring after a multiyear push from the governors of those states for an exemption.
But Jarvis said a more permanent decision is needed to ensure the higher ethanol blend is an option at pumps across the country.
“Gas stations, they’re not going to invest in the technology for E15 and the infrastructure for E15 unless they have something concrete,” he said. “So we can’t keep doing waivers.”
Farm groups like the National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau and National Farmers Union have pushed Congress to approve year-round E15 sales. Despite the issue having bipartisan support, a congressional task force missed a self-imposed deadline in February to move the legislation forward.
But even though E15 is presented as a renewable fuel, advocacy groups like Clean Wisconsin say burning more ethanol is actually worse for the environment and the health of Wisconsin communities.
Amy Barrilleaux, communications director for Clean Wisconsin, said corn production has already caused significant nitrate contamination in the state’s waterways.
“Any few pennies that folks save at the pump isn’t really going to be outweighed by the millions of dollars a year we pay in health costs for that contamination, not to mention, the air pollution that is worsened by burning E15 fuel year round,” she said.
Barrilleaux said E15 is being presented as relief to farmers without accounting for the long-term effects on rural communities. She pointed to a recent study that found the increased pesticide and fertilizer use was tied to higher rates of cancer in communities in Iowa, a top corn-growing state.
She said farmers would benefit more from investments in wind and solar energy projects, which she claimed have provided producers with money to continue farming.
“The reality is, helping farmers takes a lot more thought than just, ‘let’s burn this kind of fuel year-round, and maybe that’ll help,’” Barrilleaux said.
But Jarvis said he doesn’t foresee Wisconsin farmers changing their planting decisions because of the E15 announcement. He pointed out that much of the state’s corn crop is grown for livestock feed instead of grain, and many producers already have a set crop rotation.
Jarvis said high fertilizer prices also mean farmers aren’t interested in using more chemicals than they have to.
“We’re trying to do it as efficient and fiscally responsible as we can,” Jarvis said. “Not only to protect our bottom line, but also protect the environment.”
Wisconsin farmers celebrate nationwide E15 waiver. But some worry about long-term environmental impact. was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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