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Policy Memo
Topline
The renewable fuel standard (RFS) is an outdated government mandate that requires that your car’s gas contains a minimum amount of “renewable fuels, mostly corn ethanol. This policy is outdated, increases the price of groceries, and should be repeale
For more information, please contact AAF Policy Director John Shelton at jshelton@advancingamericanfreedom.com
Why is There Corn in My Car’s Gas Tank?
TOPLINE: The renewable fuel standard (RFS) is an outdated government mandate that requires that your car’s gas contains a minimum amount of “renewable fuels, mostly corn ethanol. This policy is outdated, increases the price of groceries, and should be repealed. RFS is an outdated government regulation: • Congress first passed the RFS in 2005, before the Shale and Fracking revolution
fundamentally changed America’s oil and gas industry for the better.
o At the time, the US was a net importer of oil products. • Today, the U.S. is a net exporter of oil products and produces three times the oil
we did when RFS started. We no longer need corn in our gas tanks. RFS increases the cost of gas and grocery prices while doing little to lower the price of fuel: • From 2014-2023, “Americans spent $28 billion more on ethanol than the same
amount of energy from gasoline would have cost” according to R Street. • RFS increases the price of gas by ~30 cents a gallon.
o CONTEXT: The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents. • 40% of American-grown corn is turned into ethanol meaning that it cannot be
used for other purposes, such as feeding animals or different corn grown altogether to feed American families.
o READ MORE: WSJ: The Ethanol Gasoline Tax Americans don’t need the government picking winners and losers: • EPA Administrator Zeldin announced “We are creating a new system that benefits
American farmers” when announcing the 2026-27 RFS requirements. • The government should not be writing regulations to benefit one industry at the
expense of the American people. • We do not need the government to pick winners and losers. BOTTOMLINE: Corn is for feeding American families and livestock, not fueling our vehicles. We have oil for that. Congress should stop telling Americans what they can put in their car’s gas tanks by immediately repealing the renewable fuel standard.