The government continues to adjust fuel formulas in an effort to reduce gas prices.

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      Typically, during the summer, the U.S. government limits the sale of fuel to a specific blend that has lower evaporation rates to reduce pollution. However, the ongoing conflict in Iran has disrupted fuel prices throughout the year, leading the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy to grant an emergency waiver. This waiver permits the sale of E10 gasoline, which has a higher evaporation rating, starting September 1, two weeks earlier than it usually becomes available to consumers.

      For much of 2026, the EPA has permitted the sale of gasoline containing up to 15% ethanol, even in the warmer months when it's generally prohibited. The justification for this is that mixing fuel with ethanol helps keep pump prices lower. However, a higher ethanol content, along with increased Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) values—a measure of evaporation or volatility—worsens ground-level ozone during hot weather, which can harm human cardiovascular and respiratory health. This is why such fuels are typically reserved for the fall and winter seasons.

      As previously noted, increasing gasoline ethanol content can also lead to issues for older vehicles that aren’t built for it. Even vehicles that are designed for it may experience a minor decrease in fuel efficiency when the ethanol content is higher, due to the fact that ethanol has a lower energy density compared to regular gasoline.

      In its announcement, the EPA indicated that it has lifted “state-level restrictions in Texas, Arizona, and California that extend beyond September 15, 2026, for the maximum period allowed of 20 days,” and it plans to continue extending these waivers as needed, just as it has throughout the year. The agency also criticized “politicians in blue states like New York and California” for not implementing these standards, which has resulted in increased prices for their residents. Notably, both states contain the nation's largest cities, where tens of millions of residents experience the negative impacts of deteriorating air quality more acutely than those in more rural regions.

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