diff --git a/pkg/storage/s3/endpoints.go b/pkg/storage/s3/endpoints.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9b2948433
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/storage/s3/endpoints.go
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+package s3
+
+import (
+	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws/endpoints"
+	configv1 "github.com/openshift/api/config/v1"
+)
+
+type endpointsResolver struct {
+	region           string
+	serviceEndpoints map[string]string
+}
+
+func newEndpointsResolver(region, s3Endpoint string, endpoints []configv1.AWSServiceEndpoint) *endpointsResolver {
+	serviceEndpoints := make(map[string]string)
+	for _, ep := range endpoints {
+		serviceEndpoints[ep.Name] = ep.URL
+	}
+
+	if s3Endpoint != "" {
+		serviceEndpoints["s3"] = s3Endpoint
+	}
+
+	return &endpointsResolver{
+		region:           region,
+		serviceEndpoints: serviceEndpoints,
+	}
+}
+
+func (er *endpointsResolver) EndpointFor(service, region string, opts ...func(*endpoints.Options)) (endpoints.ResolvedEndpoint, error) {
+	if ep, ok := er.serviceEndpoints[service]; ok {
+		// The signing region and the cluster region may be different, see
+		// https://github.com/openshift/installer/commit/41a15b787b5f6d0b0766e1737dcdfeb5b23020d5
+		signingRegion := er.region
+		def, _ := endpoints.DefaultResolver().EndpointFor(service, region)
+		if len(def.SigningRegion) > 0 {
+			signingRegion = def.SigningRegion
+		}
+		return endpoints.ResolvedEndpoint{
+			URL:           ep,
+			SigningRegion: signingRegion,
+		}, nil
+	}
+	return endpoints.DefaultResolver().EndpointFor(service, region, opts...)
+}
+
+func isUnknownEndpointError(err error) bool {
+	_, ok := err.(endpoints.UnknownEndpointError)
+	return ok
+}
+
+func regionHasDualStackS3(region string) (bool, error) {
+	_, err := endpoints.DefaultResolver().EndpointFor("s3", region, endpoints.UseDualStackEndpointOption)
+	if isUnknownEndpointError(err) {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	return true, nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/storage/s3/s3.go b/pkg/storage/s3/s3.go
index 2d7815ae9..027707b7a 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/s3/s3.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/s3/s3.go
@@ -45,60 +45,6 @@ const (
 	imageRegistrySecretDataKey    = "credentials"
 )
 
-type endpointsResolver struct {
-	region           string
-	serviceEndpoints map[string]string
-}
-
-func newEndpointsResolver(region, s3Endpoint string, endpoints []configv1.AWSServiceEndpoint) *endpointsResolver {
-	serviceEndpoints := make(map[string]string)
-	for _, ep := range endpoints {
-		serviceEndpoints[ep.Name] = ep.URL
-	}
-
-	if s3Endpoint != "" {
-		serviceEndpoints["s3"] = s3Endpoint
-	}
-
-	return &endpointsResolver{
-		region:           region,
-		serviceEndpoints: serviceEndpoints,
-	}
-}
-
-func (er *endpointsResolver) EndpointFor(service, region string, opts ...func(*endpoints.Options)) (endpoints.ResolvedEndpoint, error) {
-	if ep, ok := er.serviceEndpoints[service]; ok {
-		// The signing region and the cluster region may be different, see
-		// https://github.com/openshift/installer/commit/41a15b787b5f6d0b0766e1737dcdfeb5b23020d5
-		signingRegion := er.region
-		def, _ := endpoints.DefaultResolver().EndpointFor(service, region)
-		if len(def.SigningRegion) > 0 {
-			signingRegion = def.SigningRegion
-		}
-		return endpoints.ResolvedEndpoint{
-			URL:           ep,
-			SigningRegion: signingRegion,
-		}, nil
-	}
-	return endpoints.DefaultResolver().EndpointFor(service, region, opts...)
-}
-
-func isUnknownEndpointError(err error) bool {
-	_, ok := err.(endpoints.UnknownEndpointError)
-	return ok
-}
-
-func regionHasDualStackS3(region string) (bool, error) {
-	_, err := endpoints.DefaultResolver().EndpointFor("s3", region, endpoints.UseDualStackEndpointOption)
-	if isUnknownEndpointError(err) {
-		return false, nil
-	}
-	if err != nil {
-		return false, err
-	}
-	return true, nil
-}
-
 type driver struct {
 	Context context.Context
 	Config  *imageregistryv1.ImageRegistryConfigStorageS3
@@ -336,6 +282,7 @@ func (d *driver) getS3Service() (*s3.S3, error) {
 			HTTPClient: &http.Client{
 				Transport: tr,
 			},
+			LogLevel: aws.LogLevel(aws.LogDebug),
 		},
 		SharedConfigState: session.SharedConfigEnable,
 		SharedConfigFiles: []string{credentialsFilename},
@@ -408,6 +355,14 @@ func (d *driver) ConfigEnv() (envs envvar.List, err error) {
 
 	if len(d.Config.RegionEndpoint) != 0 {
 		envs = append(envs, envvar.EnvVar{Name: "REGISTRY_STORAGE_S3_REGIONENDPOINT", Value: d.Config.RegionEndpoint})
+	} else {
+		// attempt to bypass validation error in distribution as a means
+		// to support new aws regions without requiring aws-sdk-go upgrades.
+		// regionEndpoint, _ := d.endpointsResolver.EndpointFor("s3", d.Config.Region)
+		regionEndpoint, _ := endpoints.DefaultResolver().EndpointFor("s3", d.Config.Region)
+		if regionEndpoint.URL != "" {
+			envs = append(envs, envvar.EnvVar{Name: "REGISTRY_STORAGE_S3_REGIONENDPOINT", Value: regionEndpoint.URL})
+		}
 	}
 
 	if len(d.Config.KeyID) != 0 {