Farm state politicians have been trying for more than a decade to pass legislation that would allow E15 — gasoline containing 15% ethanol — to be sold year-round across the country. While E15 can be sold from Sept. 15 to June 1 each year, an antiquated glitch in the Environmental Protection Agency’s fuel regulations prevents gas stations from offering it each summer when America’s roadways are the busiest.

When I served in Congress, we got close and for his part, President Donald Trump tried to use administrative powers to remove that glitch during his first term in 2019. But, threatened by the competition of more ethanol, oil refiners sued to stop Trump — and they won. The courts found that only Congress can permanently remove the summertime E15 barrier.

So, with the 2025 congressional calendar ticking away, year-round E15 remains stuck in the mud and Big Oil’s ethanol barricade remains in place. Meanwhile, corn farmers are harvesting the largest-ever crop in history, corn prices are plummeting, farm bankruptcies are on the rise, and grain is piling up across the Midwest. Year-round E15 would provide an immediate demand boost and brighten the otherwise grim prospects in farm country.

E15 typically sells for 10-30 cents less per gallon than regular gasoline, meaning the summertime barrier prevents consumers from accessing a lower-cost, cleaner-burning option that includes a higher content of American-made fuel.

But here is the ironic twist. On Oct. 2, with the stroke of a pen, California Gov. Gavin Newsom did what President Trump and Midwest lawmakers haven’t been able to do. He signed Assembly Bill 30 into law, immediately legalizing the year-round sale of E15 in California, the nation’s second-largest gasoline market.

In signing the bill, Newsom stated, “While we continue the critical work to stabilize our state’s fuel market, we’re cutting red tape to provide consumers with more options as we continue our transition to cleaner transportation.” He also cited a recent study by the University of California, Berkeley and the United States Naval Academy, showing E15 “could lower gasoline prices by up to $0.20 per gallon and save Californians as much as $2.7 billion annually.”

Because California has its own unique gasoline specifications, the seemingly immovable EPA summertime barrier that bedevils states across the country simply doesn’t apply in the Golden State. California retailers can now sell E15 fuel 365 days a year.

Newsom’s move to allow year-round E15 could boost demand for ethanol by 600 million gallons, providing a sorely needed increase in corn demand. If California gas stations adopt E15 statewide, over 200 million bushels of additional corn — equivalent to the entire annual corn crop in Texas or Kentucky — will be needed to satisfy the new demand.

Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Trump and Republican lawmakers continue to promote the idea that Newsom and California have “waged war on liquid fuels.” Yet, the allowance to sell E15 year-round in the state would cement California as the single largest market for corn ethanol in the country.

All of this leads to some natural questions. Are Trump, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and GOP lawmakers really trying hard enough to secure year-round E15 and open new markets for farmers? If California, the bastion of electric vehicles, can get it done, why can’t our leaders in Washington? If the president and his fellow Republicans want to “Make America Great Again” doesn’t that start with supporting American workers and helping all Americans save money?

While farmers are caught in Trump’s trade war, the president and Republican lawmakers appear headed for yet another round of bailout payments, rather than creating new demand opportunities for our nation’s corn and soybean growers. If they really want to help America’s farmers, they should simply follow California’s lead and do whatever it takes to allow year-round, nationwide E15 sales as quickly as possible.

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Cindy Axne is a former U.S. representative from Iowa who served on the Agriculture Committee.