LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) -- A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers took a big step toward making E15 year-round sales permanent nationally by introducing legislation on Thursday in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

The Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act may be the answer that ethanol and farm groups have been looking for to rectify what has been years of relying on waivers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to continue E15 sales in the summer months around the country.

National ethanol groups on Thursday responded to the news with a sigh of relief on a piece of legislation President Donald Trump may be likely to sign.

"This bipartisan legislation would finally bring nationwide consistency and stability to the marketplace and eliminate the need for last-minute emergency waivers," said Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association.

"With the summer driving season just around the corner, we urge lawmakers to swiftly adopt this bill and deliver a win for American families seeking cleaner, lower-cost fuel options. Time is of the essence. Ethanol producers, oil refiners, fuel retailers, equipment manufacturers, farmers, and consumers have all rallied behind this commonsense approach."

The bill would harmonize fuel volatility regulations for ethanol-blended fuels across the country and would supersede a regulation allowing eight Midwest states to offer year-round E15 starting in 2025, https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor said in a statement there's "good reason to be optimistic."

Skor said the bill would bring "long-overdue certainty" to the marketplace, save consumers money, drive growth across the country and reinforce American energy dominance.

"The American people have waited for too long to get reliable access to a fuel that can lower costs while creating jobs in rural communities," she said.

"We look forward to continuing our work with our champions in Congress and the White House to finally make year-round E15 the law of the land."

Brian Jennings, CEO of the American Coalition for Ethanol, said his group was "grateful" for lawmakers' efforts to keep E15 at the forefront.

"Support for year-round E15 is growing in Congress and we thank our biofuel champions for leading that effort," he said in a statement. "As the summer driving season quickly approaches, we will continue working with our Senate and House supporters to make E15 year-round a reality and are prioritizing this during our annual DC fly-in next month."

Illinois farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr. said in a statement that expanding E15 availability would "save drivers money" and would boost the farm economy.

The bills are led in the House by Reps. Adrian Smith, R-Neb.; Angie Craig, D-Minn.; Sharice Davids, D-Kan.; Dusty Johnson, R-S.D.; Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill.; and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa.

The legislation was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.

According to the RFA, about 97% of registered vehicles on the road today are legally approved by the EPA to use E15, and the vast majority also carry the manufacturer's endorsement to use E15. In addition, more than 3,700 fuel stations currently carry the blend.

Also on Thursday, Trump said during a news conference from the Oval Office that he would direct his administration to consider potential reciprocal tariffs on Brazilian ethanol in response to continued trade barriers that effectively ban U.S. ethanol from Brazil's market.

RFA's Cooper said the industry has spent "precious time and resources" during the past decade in fighting back against an "unfair and unjustified tariff regime" imposed by Brazil.

"What's more ironic is that these tariff barriers have been erected against U.S. ethanol imports while our country has openly accepted and even encouraged and incentivized ethanol imports from Brazil," Cooper said.

Skor said the trade barriers put up by Brazil "runs contrary to putting America first," and that's why the president is taking action.

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

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