Providing That Section 11 of House Resolution 1224 Shall Have No Force or Effect

Floor Speech

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1274 and ask for its immediate consideration.

The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: H. Res. 1274

Resolved, That section 11 of House Resolution 1224 shall have no force or effect.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave
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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, the rule before us today is simple. Two weeks ago, the Rules Committee met to provide for consideration of the farm bill, H.R. 7567, in addition to H.R. 1346, the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act.

Nothing in this rule changes that. Instead, the rule before us makes a procedural change, which will allow H.R. 1346 and the farm bill, both, to be transmitted to the Senate separately for their consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1346. For too long, the people of western Minnesota, along with families and farmers across the entire country, have been subjected to frustrating, outdated, and unnecessary regulations.

Currently, our growers are subjected to patchwork regulations that effectively ban the sale of E15 during the summer months. The summer ban is a direct hit to the American taxpayer. It limits consumer choice, drives up prices at the pump during the height of the summer travel season, and restricts the market for homegrown biofuels.

Because of these antiquated rules, farmers have been forced to rely on temporary, short-term emergency waivers that create confusion rather than progress.

The legislation before us today changes that. It includes text for permanent, year-round E15 to finally provide the certainty that our agriculture and energy sectors deserve. We are moving past the era of temporary fixes and toward a future of long-term stability.

The benefits of E15 are clear and backed by significant data. First, this is a major win for American consumers. E15 is a lower cost fuel option, typically priced 20 to 40 cents per gallon less than regular unleaded gasoline.

In a time of fluctuating global energy markets, providing this relief is a necessity for hardworking Americans. In fact, E15 adoption would save American drivers an estimated $27 billion a year on gas purchases, putting roughly $200 back into the pocket of the average American household annually.

Second, this is a win for our national security and energy independence. Ethanol is produced within American borders by American workers. Every gallon we blend is a gallon of oil we do not need to import from foreign countries.

By leaning into domestic production, we are strengthening our energy independence and reinforcing our commitment to American-made energy.

The American people understand this. Eighty percent of citizens believe renewable fuels, like ethanol, are necessary for our energy independence, and 71 percent support increasing the availability of E15 to help lower prices.

Year-round E15 is a massive win for the American farmer. In western Minnesota, our corn growers are large supporters of the biofuels industry. They deserve a fair and consistent market for their product.

Full adoption of E15 would increase corn consumption by 2.4 billion bushels, supporting our rural communities and ensuring steady, predictable demand year-round.

Beyond the farm, the economic impact is staggering. Full E15 adoption would add $25.8 billion to the U.S. GDP and support an additional 128,000 full-time jobs.

Beyond the economic and agricultural benefits, H.R. 1346 provides essential regulatory and market certainty. It enhances fuel supply chain stability and improves certainty for the entire fuel industry by eliminating unfair advantages for some refineries over others.

By reforming the small refinery exemption process, this bill helps the Environmental Protection Agency set renewable fuel standard annual volumes in a timely, transparent, and fair manner. It removes the reoccurring tension between refiners and agricultural stakeholders, allowing everyone from farmers to fuel retailers to better plan for the future.

It is important to address the technical advancements of vehicles since the current regulations were created.

E15 is legally approved for all vehicles built since 2001 or later, which accounts for more than 96 percent of the cars on the road today. Furthermore, E15 burns cleaner and reduces emissions that harm our health and our environment.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot afford to keep hitting the pause button on American energy every summer. This legislation removes the hurdles that have stifled E15 for decades. It gives farmers the confidence they need to plan, and it gives consumers a lower-cost option when they need it most.

The American people are calling for solutions. This bill provides more choice at the pump and lower prices for America. It is real savings and real money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans.

It is time for a permanent, nationwide solution that supports our growers, lowers costs for families, and reinforces our commitment to American-made energy.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, as it often happens with the opposition, they stray off into every topic that they can think of and forget to focus on what we are here to talk about. What we are talking about is a rule to allow E15 to come to the floor to have a vote, so we are talking about energy independence. We are talking about saving Americans dollars on their gas bill. I just wanted to remind the public that that is what we are talking about today.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Will the gentleman yield?

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker and Mr. McGovern, I believe that you understand that that is referencing the decoupling, and it does allow for E15 to be brought to the floor--I mean maybe not exactly in the language that is on the paper.

Mr. Speaker, I will clarify. I think my point was that the opposition went off on a whole bunch of other issues, and from his own admission, this is about E15. This is about decoupling from whatever the technical language is in that amendment.

We are talking about E15, not about all of the other issues that he spoke about earlier, so I will focus on E15.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, like most everybody here in the Chamber, I spend a lot of time at home in my district. I am there every single weekend, and what you really hear related to energy is you hear three things:

First off, of course, people want lower prices at the pump. That is a no-brainer.

Secondly, of course, they want American energy dominance. They don't want to be reliant on others.

Then number three, they don't understand the role of outdated regulations. They would like more freedom to make their own decisions.

Well, boy, do I have a deal for them, and do I have a deal for us. Year-round E15 addresses all of those concerns.

Let's go to affordability first. We know that E15 is 40 or 50 cents a gallon cheaper than standard gasoline, and that will have a big impact on American families.

Secondly, when it comes to American energy dominance, I think most South Dakotans would rather our energy future be driven by what is going on in South Dakota cornfields rather than in Iranian oilfields. This is an incredible opportunity to make sure that we are able to buy more homegrown American fuel.

Now, number three, when we get to the freedom and rolling back outdated regulations, let's be really clear what this does. This just gives people more options at the pump. Nobody will be required to buy E15 at the pump. Nobody will be required to sell E15 at the pump. This is going to be the market at work.

What we know is that a 1970s-era EPA rule just tells Americans that, no, you can't--even if somebody wants to sell you E15 in the summer months--you can't buy it. What we know for those people who are concerned about environmental impacts is that E15 has a lower Reid vapor pressure than E10, so any smog concerns are not applicable. E15 is better for the environment in that way.

So, Mr. Speaker, almost no matter how you come down, whether you are concerned about affordability, whether you are concerned about geopolitics, whether you are concerned about overregulation, E15 gives us the tools we need to move in the right direction.

I would close by saying this: I know the wheels of progress don't always turn quickly, but they are turning today, and when we vote off this House floor year-round E15, the winner will be the American people.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close on E15, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, let's be honest. We are here to move the E15 legislation forward. That is what we are here to do today.

It is interesting that the good gentleman from Massachusetts used his time to talk about almost everything except E15. I was happy to yield time to my colleagues to talk about E15 and the benefits and the advantages and what it could do for our farmers and energy independence.

I rise today to close this debate because the choice before us is clear. Do we continue with the status quo of emergency waivers, or do we finally provide permanent certainty that American families and farmers deserve?

We have spent decades hiding behind outdated regulations that do nothing but hike summertime fuel prices. Every single year, this country is forced to hit a pause button on American-grown energy. It makes no sense and, frankly, Mr. Speaker, I am tired of it.

H.R. 1346 is about two things: lower costs and market stability. When families pull up to the pump, they should not be forced to pay more just because of what month it is on the calendar.

This is about providing real, permanent relief for hardworking Americans who are tired of seeing their pocketbooks take the fall for outdated red tape. This vote represents a choice between foreign oil and American energy independence. It is a vote for our corn growers across the country who are ready to fuel this country.

There is zero reason to rely on foreign countries for our energy needs when we can support American workers and strengthen our national security.

We are done with the era of temporary fixes that only create market instability. Our refiners, our retailers, and our rural communities deserve certainty.

E15 is cleaner. It is cheaper, and it is grown right here at home. Let's stop the games. It is time to pass a permanent, nationwide solution that provides for our growers, puts American families first, and reinforces our commitment to American-made energy.

Mr. Speaker, that is why we are here today. That is the issue in front of us, to move E15 year-round forward.

The material previously referred to by Mr. McGovern is as follows: An Amendment to H. Res. 1274 Offered by Mr. McGovern of Massachusetts

At the end of the resolution, add the following:

Sec. 2. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the bill (H.R. 8698) to protect consumers from gasoline and fuel price gouging, and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.

Sec. 3. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX and clause 8 of rule XX shall not apply to the consideration of H.R. 8698.

Sec. 4. The Clerk shall transmit to the Senate a message that the House has passed H.R. 8698 no later than three calendar days after passage.
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