President Trump’s commitment to America’s energy revolution is evidenced by the fact that the United States continues to lead the world in oil and natural gas production and crude oil refining. However, the president’s recent decision to direct the Environmental Protection Agency to allow the year-round sale of E15 gasoline (that is, 15 percent ethanol) runs directly counter to his stated goal of energy dominance. It will put a damper on our energy progress while also threatening to increase costs to the American consumer.

The opposition to Trump’s election-season decision to waive Clean Air Act restrictions on year-round E15 sales is not solely driven by U.S. consumer rejection of higher ethanol blends, as shown in public surveys. The opposition is rooted in the fact that first, allowing year-round E15 sales is simply the wrong public policy. And second, the action is contrary to the law. That is why opinion pages as diverse as the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post oppose the administration’s decision. It is also why a bipartisan group of 20 senators wrote to President Trump urging him to step back from this ill-advised policy, and why economists, energy analysts, and a broad range of industry and environmental groups have come out in strong opposition to this E15 waiver decision.