Background

CARB is responsible for adopting and enforcing motor vehicle fuel specifications, standards, and regulations to protect public health and the environment, to achieve toxic air contaminant emissions and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, and to accomplish the attainment of the State and National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Under this authority, CARB administers and implements fuel regulations and standards, including the California Reformulated Gasoline Regulations (CaRFG regulations) that establish specifications for California gasoline properties and ensures California gasoline reduces smog-forming pollutants by controlling fuel properties to achieve and continue emission reductions from vehicles.  

On October 2, 2025, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 30 adding section 43013.7 to the Health and Safety Code. Section 43013.7 was effective upon enactment and immediately allowed blends of gasoline containing 10.5% to 15% ethanol by volume to be sold in the State for use as a transportation fuel. The statute specifies that those blends may be sold until either the California Environmental Policy Council completes its review of the multimedia evaluation for E15, and CARB adopts a regulation establishing a specification for gasoline blends containing 10.5% to 15% ethanol by volume, or until CARB determines that no such regulation can meet applicable requirements. Prior to the enactment of AB 30, CARB gasoline regulations authorized the use of California Reformulated Gasoline, comprised of a maximum of 10.0% ethanol by volume and at least 90% by volume California Reformulated Gasoline Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending (CARBOB); this gasoline blend is referred to as E10.  

The Proposed Amendments to the CaRFG regulations will provide regulatory requirements applicable to fuel producers and importers selling E15 in California providing certainty to the marketplace that E15 is being produced in accordance with CaRFG regulations specifications. Additionally, as part of this rulemaking, staff is proposing to remove obsolete regulatory text where the dates of the compliance or regulatory deadlines have passed, no longer have legal or practical effect, and are no longer necessary for continued implementation of the CaRFG regulations. 

Inquiries concerning the substance of the proposed regulatory action may be directed to the agency representative Patrick Houlihan, Manager, Fuels Specification Section, at (279) 224-6690 and patrick.houlihan@arb.ca.gov or Susie Chung, Staff Air Pollution Specialist, Fuels Specification Section, at (279) 842-9676 and susie.chung@arb.ca.gov. 

The Notice, ISOR, and all subsequent regulatory documents are available on CARB's Rulemaking Webpage

Written Comment Period & Comment Submittal 

In accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, interested members of the public may present comments orally or in writing during the hearing and may provide comments by postal mail or by electronic submittal before the hearing. The public comment period for this regulatory action will begin on July 31, 2026. Written comments not submitted during the hearing must be submitted on or after July 31, 2026, and received no later than Monday September 14, 2026. Comments submitted outside that comment period are considered untimely. CARB may, but is not required to, respond to untimely comments, including those raising significant environmental issues. The Board also encourages members of the public to bring to the attention of staff in advance of the hearing any suggestions for modification of the proposed regulatory action. Comments submitted in advance of the hearing must be addressed to one of the following:  

Clerk of the Board, California Air Resources Board 1001 I Street, Sacramento, California 95814