(NewsUSA) - With U.S. gasoline prices still hovering around $4.00 per gallon, according to AAA, consumers are looking for lower-cost fuel options like E15, made with 15 percent American ethanol. According to data from Growth Energy, the nation’s largest trade association for biofuel producers, the higher-ethanol blend saves motorists 30 cents per gallon on average compared to standard E10 fuel, with savings in some markets exceeding $1 per gallon. E15 can now be found at more than 5,100 gas stations in 35 states.

“E15 can deliver better performance and bigger savings every time consumers fill up their tanks,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. “It’s approved for more than 96% of cars on the road — all passenger cars and light-duty trucks model year 2001 or later — so making the switch has never been easier. And with fuel prices at a four-year high, E15 can save drivers money and shield them from global market volatility.”

Also marketed as Unleaded 88 (UNL88), in recognition of the octane boost offered by ethanol, E15 is already offered by dozens of major retail chains. Drivers’ access to the fuel option has expanded rapidly since 2019, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implemented a series of regulatory and short-term measures to keep E15 available even during periods when seasonal regulations would otherwise restrict its sale.

Those measures have helped keep E15 available in recent summers, but Congress now has an opportunity to give drivers and fuel retailers more certainty by making year-round access to E15 permanent nationwide.

Bipartisan legislation that passed the House this May would update decades-old rules that limit when some gas stations can sell E15, aligning regulations with evidence that the higher-ethanol blend can reduce ground-level ozone formation, particulate emissions, and other air pollutants. Similar legislation is now awaiting action in the Senate.

“Permanent year-round E15 can help raise income in rural communities, strengthen American energy security, and deliver lower prices at the pump at a time when Americans need it most,” said Skor. “It’s not a mandate or a requirement — it simply gives our retail partners the freedom to offer another option to cash-strapped motorists.”

Drivers can find nearby stations selling E15 and other higher ethanol blends using Growth Energy’s Fuel Finder tool, available at GetBiofuel.com.