Missouri gas stations will not be selling E-15 anytime soon. A joint House-Senate committee voted Wednesday to reject a rule change sought by the State Agriculture Department that would have allowed sales of fuel containing 15 percent ethanol.
Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of St. Louis County chairs the committee. He says their vote had nothing to do with their opinion on increasing ethanol use in Missouri.
“The very sole and limited question before us was whether or not they could, by rule, change the law…if this is what the state of Missouri wants to pursue, and it could be (a) very worthy endeavor, the legislature just needs to give their thumbs-up to it, not some unelected bureaucrats deciding that this is what we should do,” said Schmitt.
He says he expects there’ll be proposed legislation next year that would allow E-15 to be sold in Missouri.