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Statewide average price reached $5.61 per gallon on June 19. Regulators have not completed required certifications for the 15% ethanol blend.
New York PostCalifornia state lawmakers legalized E15 gasoline nearly a year before June 20, 2026, yet not a single gasoline station in the state is selling the fuel. 61 per gallon on June 19, the highest in the United States. E15 contains 15 percent ethanol and has been sold in other states for 15 years.
Supporters say the blend could reduce pump prices by up to 30 cents per gallon. The California Office of the State Fire Marshal requires updated vapor-recovery certifications and complete testing reports from approved laboratories before sales can begin.
Additional approvals are needed from the California Air Resources Board, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Daniel Berlant as State Fire Marshal on October 6, 2023. Lawmakers approved E15 last fall, making California the last state to legalize the fuel. In December 2025, California air regulators concluded that E15 would not have a significant adverse impact on public health or the environment.
Gov. Newsom raised concerns about implementation costs before signing the legislation and later directed agencies to speed up the process. Geoff Cooper, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, said manufacturers have already verified compatibility and provide written warranties covering E15 use.
He told the San Francisco Chronicle that drivers are missing out on savings because of a bureaucratic process. Jeff Wilkerson, government policy and regulatory affairs manager at Pearson Fuels, projects savings of approximately 10 cents per gallon after accounting for gasoline and ethanol prices, transportation costs, and federal renewable identification number credits.
Aaron Smith, a professor of agricultural and resource economics at UC Berkeley, said E15 has sold for about 25 cents less per gallon than standard gasoline in other states but cautioned that the discount may partly reflect weaker consumer demand and that the fuel contains slightly less energy.
Some stations may need to replace underground storage tanks before offering E15, a project Wilkerson estimated could cost well into six figures. Federal rules generally prohibit E15 sales between June 1 and September 15, though the EPA recently issued a temporary emergency waiver allowing summer sales.
E15 is recommended only for vehicles built after 2001, including light-duty trucks and flex-fuel vehicles.
It is sold at roughly 5,000 stations nationwide.
Japan TimesChina’s Ministry of Commerce placed MP Materials, USA Rare Earth and eight other U.S. firms on its export control list. The restrictions bar access to dual-use items and respond to a recent Pentagon roster of Chinese companies.
Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz rose on Saturday while Iran renewed threats to close the waterway. U.S. benchmark crude traded at about $75 per barrel on Monday, down slightly from late last week.
france24.comAbelardo de la Espriella led with 49.7% of votes to Iván Cepeda’s 48.7% after nearly all ballots were counted. Election officials have not declared a winner, and Cepeda said his team would challenge results from more than 30,000 voting stations.