Proposed Quick Fix To Rising Gas Prices Could Cripple American Energy

One of the Trump administration’s greatest accomplishments thus far has been driving the price of oil down to levels that seem like they are straight out of the 2000s. By the end of 2025, the national average price for a gallon of gas was at a paltry $2.896, and some states were even seeing gas prices as low as $1.85. 

Unfortunately, recent actions in Iran have negatively impacted these achievements. Shortly after the Trump administration launched strikes on Tehran, energy markets reacted, with gas prices rising over 50 cents per gallon. Presidents sometimes need to take action abroad, even if it causes temporary discomfort at home. But when gasoline prices begin to climb, policymakers often become desperate to reach for levers to change the story.

The administration recently grabbed for one such lever: a waiver for the sale of E-15 during the summer months. E-15, a fuel blend containing 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline, is not normally legal to sell in summer, and there has been talk about making it permanently legal to sell year-round (as opposed to the current process of the federal government offering waivers to do so). Doing so would be a mistake: selling E-15 year-round without other reforms would trigger even higher prices at the pump, ultimately hurting consumers, small businesses, and America’s energy security. 

Read more at the Daily Caller.