New poll shows majority of voters are concerned about expanding the sale of E15 gasoline

WASHINGTON, October 29, 2018 – Today the American Petroleum Institute released the results of a new national poll conducted by Harris Poll, showing that the vast majority of voters  are concerned about the Trump administration’s proposal to allow the year-round sale of higher ethanol blended E15 gasoline.

“Consumers are speaking loud and clear,” said API Vice President of Downstream and Industry Operations Frank Macchiarola. “These numbers reinforce the need for the administration to reconsider this decision to allow year-round sale of E15.  Voters understand that allowing sale of a fuel that is not designed for nearly 75 percent of cars on the road today puts consumers at risk. American families should not have to be burdened with an unexpected car repair bill because of a fuel that our government essentially pushed into the marketplace against the clear letter of the law.

“E15 is symptom of the broken Renewable Fuel Standard and it’s time for real reform. There is bipartisan agreement that the RFS is a failure and we urge the administration to support consensus legislation to significantly reform the RFS for the benefit of all consumers.”

Key poll results:

• 79 percent of voters are concerned about expanded E15 sales and vehicle incompatibility.
• 83 percent of voters are concerned that consumers could shoulder higher pump prices if service stations are forced to invest in new infrastructure to accommodate certain types of fuels.
• 68 percent of voters are concerned about consumers mistakenly using E15 and causing damage to their engines.
• 81 percent of voters are concerned that government requirements could exceed the 10 percent level of ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply which studies have shown could increase gasoline prices by up to 26 cents per gallon.

The poll results are posted on the API website.

Methodology

The study was conducted on October 12-16, 2018, by telephone by Harris Poll on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute among 1001 registered voters across the U.S., with a sampling error of +/- 3.1 percent. A full methodology is available upon request. 

"What America is Thinking on Energy Issues" is a public opinion series provided by API, offering data to inform policy discussions and ensure policymakers and others know Americans' perspectives on key energy issues.

API is the only national trade association representing all facets of the natural gas and oil industry, which supports 10.3 million U.S. jobs and nearly 8 percent of the U.S. economy. API’s more than 600 members include large integrated companies, as well as exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms. They provide most of the nation’s energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 47 million Americans.