Under current state policy, gas sellers are required to add either 8 cents or 6% to the price of a gallon of gas, and can face civil and even criminal penalties for not doing so.
The oil refining industry has traditionally balked at efforts to expand the ethanol market because it competes with gasoline at the pump and can be costly to blend.
The EPA enforces a summertime ban on E15 over concerns it contributes to smog in hot weather, though research has since shown the 15% blend may not increase smog relative to the more common E10 sold year-round.
Leaving aside the still-high price of diesel, a backlog in new trucks and a difficulty in finding younger drivers could mean an already-stressed industry will remain that way for months, and possibly even years.
The report comes as the Biden administration prepares in the coming months to unveil new safety-related rules to curb methane emissions from pipeline systems that transport gas from production to local distribution.
The president will also call on states to temporarily suspend state fuel taxes, which are often higher than federal rates, and he will challenge major oil companies to bring back idled refining capacity.
Particularly galling to the White House is the jump in industry stock buybacks, returning to investors profits that the administration wants invested in more refining capacity to bring gasoline prices down.
The average price of gas in Minnesota and nationwide hit record highs last week, including at $4.98 per gallon nationwide on Monday, according to AAA. The national average rose to $5 a gallon last week for the first time.
States including Florida, Georgia and Maryland have enacted state gas tax holidays, and while Minnesota has not yet taken action to reduce prices, some leaders and candidates have floated similar ideas.
Tourism-dependent Sri Lanka, where India and China jostle for influence, is facing a dire shortage of foreign exchange, fuel and medicines, and economic activity has slowed to a crawl.
May 20, 2022
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By Devjyot Ghoshal and Uditha Jayasinghe / Reuters
