ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Alliance for a Safe Alternative Fuels Environment has announced its support of a recently issued enforcement letter from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) addressing self-directed blender pumps at retail outlets and the risks involved when using fuel blends containing more than 10% ethanol.
The recent EPA letter states that "gasoline containing more than 10% ethanol may cause damage to certain emissions control devices and systems and increased emissions from gasoline-only vehicles and engines. For this reason, the Clean Air Act prohibits retail [image-nocss] gasoline stations from selling gasoline blended with more than 10% ethanol for use in gasoline-only vehicles and engines." The letter also states that the EPA will be taking steps to investigate the retail distribution of noncompliant fuel.
"We are very pleased to see this letter go out from the EPA. The proliferation of ethanol blender pumps at retail outlets in some regions of the country pose potentially serious problems for consumers and manufacturers alike," said Kris Kiser, spokesperson for AllSAFE.
At issue is the fact that current blender pumps allow users to select various levels of ethanol when dispensing fuel. Current law only allows ethanol levels from up to 10% (E10) for general purpose fuel and up to 85% (E85) for use in flexible-fuel automobiles. Many pumps are inadequately labeled, so consumers are often unaware that ethanol levels above 10% are only recommended for flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs), said AllSAFE, which recommends that consumers check their owner's manuals or with the manufacturer to identify the proper fuel for their vehicle or product.
"Current labeling fails to properly inform the consumer of the potential harm that a 'mid-level' ethanol blend may do to an automobile, motorcycle, boat, chainsaw, lawn mower, ATV, snowmobile, generator or any other engine product," added Kiser. "It is not simply a recommendation, but in fact, it is a violation of federal law to dispense fuels with greater than 10% ethanol in anything but a flexible fuel vehicle."
The Energy Independence & Security Act enacted last year by the U.S. Congress mandates the use of substantially more ethanol in the fuels marketplace. The U.S. Department of Energy, EPA and industry have begun testing various ethanol blends on vehicles and engine products to determine their effects. Only flexible fuel automobiles are designed to run on fuel blends above E10. Using blends beyond the legal E10 in vehicles and products not designed to handle higher ethanol levels will likely void manufacturers' warranties and may result in safety risks to the user and performance irregularities.
"There are currently insufficient test data to permit a change in law allowing the general use of higher ethanol blends in conventional vehicles and products," said Kiser. "Without better consumer education, retailers may face a consumer backlash by using the wrong fuel in their products. We do not wish to see a repeat of the consumer backlash against ethanol fuels that occurred in the 1970s during the oil embargo."
AllSAFE members do not object to increasing the overall amount of ethanol used in the nation's gasoline supply as long as the amount of ethanol for sale to the general public does not exceed the legal and recommended 10% per gallon, or 85% per gallon for specially designed FFVs, it said.
Kiser spoke with Energy Policy TV on the issue.Click here to listen to the full interview.
The organization is made up of the national consumer, manufacturing and gasoline retailer associations that consume gasoline and ethanol fuel blends. AllSAFE speaks on fuel-related legislation for more than 250 million Americans that own and operate more than 400 million products, including recreational boats and marine engines, chainsaws, lawnmowers, motor vehicles, motorcycles, all terrain vehicles (ATVs), snowmobiles, generators and related vehicles and equipment, it said.
AllSAFE members include the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the American Motorcyclist Association, the Association of Marina Industries, the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, the Boat Owners Association of the United States, the Engine Manufacturers Association, the Motorcycle Industry Council, the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, the Personal Watercraft Industry Association, the Professional Landcare Network and the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America.
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