Media & News

Blog Posts
Providing for Seamless E15 Transition

July 20, 2010

           

Moving to E15 will require cooperation between the ethanol industry and those in the business of bringing fuel to American drivers.  Today, that cooperation was on display as the RFA joined representatives from the nation's major gasoline marketing trade associations to address some of the challenges a move to E15 may present. The RFA joined with NACS, NATSO, PMAA, and SIGMA in support of H.R. 5778, introduced by Reps. Mike Ross of Arkansas and John Shimkus of Illinois.  We believe this bill is a common sense approach that will help facilitate a faster and more seamless transition to higher level ethanol blends, like E15. We still believe, based on the science, that EPA can and should approve the use of E15 for all vehicles.  Such a decision, together with this legislation, would go a long way to accelerating the adoption of E15 and the needed expansion of the ethanol market. Below is the full letter sent to Reps. Ross and Shimkus from the groups in support of this legislation: Dear Representatives Ross and Shimkus: The undersigned associations, representing America's petroleum marketing and renewable fuels industries, write to commend you for your leadership in introducing H.R. 5778, the Renewable Fuels Marketing Act of 2010. The Renewable Fuels Marketing Act is a critical step towards removing some of the obstacles that stand in the way of increasing the availability of renewable fuels at petroleum retail outlets across the nation and will greatly facilitate the successful implementation of the Renewable Fuels Standard established by Congress in 2007. H.R. 5778 will establish guidelines through which equipment can be evaluated and then determined to be legally compatible with renewable fuels. This will enable many retailers to obtain legal authorization to sell greater volumes of renewable fuels through their outlets without incurring the unsustainable costs of replacing their storage and dispensing systems. Further, it will expedite the review and approval of new equipment, removing a bottleneck that has stifled innovation in recent years. In addition, as new fuels are brought to market that may be approved for only a subset of vehicles or engines, the bill establishes a labeling program to ensure that consumers are properly informed at the dispenser of the approved uses of these fuels. This labeling regime will also ensure that retailers who sell these fuels in a lawful manner are not held responsible for the actions of self-service customers who many ignore the notifications concerning approved uses of these fuels. Therefore, on behalf of renewable fuels retailers and producers, we fully support H.R. 5778 and look forward to working with you to see it enacted into law as soon as possible. Sincerely, NACS NATSO PMAA RFA SIGMA