Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Fuels topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate committee hears AB 30 to allow E15 sale in California, author cites lower pump prices and regulatory delays
Summary
Assemblymember David Alvarez told the Senate Environmental Quality Committee AB 30 would authorize sale of E15 (gasoline blended with up to 15% ethanol) in California while preserving the Air Resources Board's regulatory role; supporters say it could lower pump prices and cut tailpipe emissions.
Assemblymember David Alvarez (author) told the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on the Assembly bill AB 30 would approve the sale in California of E15, a gasoline blend containing up to 15% ethanol, saying the change would provide a lower-cost fuel option while preserving the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) regulatory authority.
The bill, which Alvarez described as the "Cleaner Cheaper Fuels Act," would allow E15 for sale and use in California while CARB completes any rulemaking the agency determines necessary. Alvarez said CARB first initiated regulatory approvals for E15 in 2018 and that the rulemaking could take years; he cited Senate analysis that estimated two to five years for the regulatory process and said CARB itself had estimated at least another year. He said a UC Berkeley study projects as much as a 20-cent-per-gallon retail price reduction for drivers using E15.
Why it matters: Supporters framed AB 30 as simultaneously addressing near-term affordability for motorists and longer-term air quality objectives. Alvarez said the bill includes an urgency clause so it could take effect immediately upon the governor's signature.
Supporters at the hearing included ethanol producers represented by Neil Koehler of the Renewable Fuels Association, trade and business groups such as the California Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Growth Energy and others who submitted letters or spoke in favor. Koehler said higher ethanol blends reduce tailpipe greenhouse gas and criteria emissions and increase supply of clean-burning fuel.
There were no public witnesses who spoke in opposition during the in-room testimony period recorded in the transcript. Committee members expressed general support; one vice chair described AB 30 as a "common sense" measure for districts with many commuters and said gas prices were a pressing concern for constituents.
The author closed by asking for an "aye" vote. Committee roll calls recorded the measure as moved out of committee with the committee keeping the item "on call" and later recording the bill as passed out of the committee.
Ending note: Alvarez said AB 30 preserves CARB's authority to finish any rulemaking, while allowing broader retail availability of E15 under state law if the bill is enacted.
