Washington, D.C. - Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) President Dennis Slater issued the following statement after the Trump administration announced a rule allowing the year-round sale of E15 gasoline.

“This morning’s correction to the Clean Air Act provides a significant boost to America’s ethanol and corn industries,” said AEM president Dennis Slater. “Ethanol is a critical part of our country’s strong energy policy as well as our national security strategy, as we source more renewable resources at home. Farm income and tractor sales are directly correlated, signaling the importance of today’s rule to equipment manufacturers. Allowing the sale of E15 gasoline during the summer months will increase demand for corn, and in turn, the equipment our industry manufactures. It will also help families and business owners save money as they kick off their travel-filled summer plans. We applaud the Trump administration for recognizing how an easy fix to the Clean Air Act will benefit equipment manufacturers and farmers across the United States.”

Ethanol, a renewable fuel made from corn and other plant materials, is critical to the equipment industry because its cultivation requires the kind of heavy machinery our industry manufactures. This fix will put the ethanol industry on a path to an additional 1.3 billion gallons of demand within five years. That translates to more than 464 million bushels of corn demand.