South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, seven other Midwestern governors seek year-round sale of E15

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Neom and seven other Midwestern governors have sent a formal letter to the federal government seeking a waiver to allow the year-round sale of gasoline with 15% ethanol.

President Joe Biden visited Iowa earlier this month to announce he would allow the sale of the higher ethanol blend nationwide for this year only in an effort to lower gas prices. The move is intended to be temporary.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has praised that move, but she and the other Midwestern governors are asking for a permanent waiver in a letter sent Thursday to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan.

"This letter sends the clear message that renewable fuels are the immediate solution to high gas prices, lower emissions and restoring our energy independence, and we are proud to stand up and take this historic action," Reynolds said in a statement.

E15 is currently banned in several states from June 1 to Sept. 15 because it is believed to contribute to smog during warmer weather. Ethanol supporters say those claims are unfounded, adding that total emissions with E15 are less than E10 and gasoline with no renewable fuel.

In the letter, the governors said they had modeled the emissions benefits that would result from the change and concluded it would benefit air quality by reducing emissions from carbon monoxide, nitrogen and volatile organic compounds.

Along with Noem and Reynolds, the governors who signed the letter were Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, JB Pritzker of Illinois, Laura Kelly of Kansas, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Tony Evers of Wisconsin.

The eight states make up more than 10% of U.S. gasoline sales, according to a news release from Reynolds.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Kristi Noem and seven other governors want E15 to be sold year-round