There’s no shortage of debate around ethanol and gasoline with the summer driving season just around the corner. Farm and biofuels groups are pushing hard for policies favoring expanded ethanol use, while refiners are lobbying for changes to improve the workings of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). With winter winding down and summer gasoline planning already underway, fuel industry groups are urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not to repeat the last-minute fuel rule changes it issued last year again in 2026. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll dive into the debate about ethanol blending and gasoline regulations.
Let’s start with the basics. Most gasoline available at U.S. pumps today is E10, or gasoline blended with up to 10% ethanol, an alcohol typically produced from corn. E15 is gasoline blended with up to15% ethanol. It is approved by the EPA for use in flexible-fuel vehicles and all vehicles in model year 2001 and newer, although its consumer availability is far more limited. (Just 2%-3% of U.S. gasoline stations sell E15 today.) But E15’s use is prohibited in motorcycles, vehicles with heavy-duty engines (i.e., school buses and delivery trucks), off-road vehicles (boats and snowmobiles), equipment engines (chain saws and lawnmowers) and conventional vehicles older than model year 2001.
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About the song
"Growing Sideways" was written by Noah Kahan and appears as the 10th song on Noah Kahan's third studio album, Stick Season. The song reflects on going through the motions and the fear of never really knowing the truth. Kahan has stated that he wrote the song about mental health and his experiences with therapists. Personnel on the record were: Jonah Kahan (lead, backing vocals, electric guitar, tenor guitar), Gabe Simon (backing vocals, bass, 12-string guitar, keyboards), and Carrie Karpinen (drums).
Stick Season was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 at Guilford Sound in Guilford, VT, and The Studio in Nashville, and produced by Noah Kahan and Gabe Simon. Released in October 2022, it went to #1 on the Billboard Americana/Folk Albums chart and #2 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart, and has been certified 2X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Eight singles were released from the LP.
Noah Kahan is an American singer-songwriter from Vermont. He started writing songs when he was eight and posted them on social media, where his fan base grew. He signed his first recording contract with Republic Records in 2017 when he was 19. Kahan released his debut studio album, Busyhead, in December 2018. He has released three studio albums, two EPs, a live album, and 25 singles. He has sold more than 12 million records worldwide and has amassed close to 15 billion streams worldwide. Kahan’s next studio album, The Great Divide, will be released in April, and he will begin his sold-out US stadium tour, The Great Divide Tour, in June.
"About the Song" -- written by Mickey McMahan , RBN Director of Musicology
