Keystone Today

With rising gas prices across the country showing few signs of abating, President Joe Biden is now selling a plan that would actually steer motorists toward fossil fuels.

Top White House officials recently went public with a plan that authorizes the year-round sale of E15 gasoline, or gas with a 15% ethanol content.

"I am announcing that the Environmental Protection Agency is planning to issue an emergency waiver to allow E15 gasoline — gasoline that uses more ethanol from home-grown crops — to be sold across the U.S. this summer in order to increase fuel supply and lower prices," Biden tweeted on April 12.

The surging gas prices come at a time when inflation is also running rampant, registering at levels not seen before over the last four decades. Critics have been quick to point out that, up until now, none of the president's plans for slowing the wave of inflation actually involve increasing domestic production.

E15 is often produced from heavily subsidized corn. With the White House promoting the plan as one that can save families 10 cents per gallon of gas on average, the fuel is set to be sold across the country this summer, with the goal of lowering driving costs for many.

Not everyone appears sold on the plan, however, with many wondering if it can ever achieve what it’s intended to do.

Along with speculating that the saved 10 cents won't ever materialize for most drivers, a recent report by The Drive noted that the increased amount of ethanol in E15 would decrease gas mileage in most cars, causing drivers to actually spend more on gasoline.

In addition, a recent ARS Technica report said that E15 has been proven to lower fuel efficiency in cars and can contribute to smog, which explains why it is generally outlawed from being sold during summer months under the Clean Air Act.

NPR notes there are also infrastructure concerns to consider, given that many vendors are not willing to invest in a product that cannot be sold year-round. Currently, the Department of Energy estimates that E15 gas is only available at approximately 2,300 fueling stations across the country.

In Pennsylvania, there are only 155 gas stations that offer E15, according to E85prices.com, a site that tracks the cost and availability of alternative fuel.  

The Biden administration’s previous attempts at controlling runaway gas prices include the release of as much as180 million barrels of crude oil from the country's Strategic Petroleum Reserve over the next six months.