OKLAHOMA CITY -- Starting July 1, most gasoline pumps in Oklahoma will have an orange sticker telling motorists that the fuel contains up to 10% ethanol, reported the Associated Press. Vance McSpadden, executive director of the Oklahoma Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association (OPMCSA), said retailers selling blended fuel will be required to post the stickers.
In Tulsa, retailers started using blended fuels in October. The blended fuels came to the Oklahoma City area early this year.
The Oklahoma Legislature passed a law requiring the labels, but McSpadden told AP [image-nocss] that his group decided to do a sticker when motorists began making inquiries to state authorities about blended gasolines.
In Nebraska, some fuel marketers are now offering unconventional blends of ethanol such as E17 and E24 along with E10 and E85, reported Nebraska-TV. State law requires that fuels, including all ethanol blends, be properly labeled at the pump.
Meanwhile, Steve Malone, the administrator for the Nebraska Department of Weights & Measures, claimed in a separate AP report that his agency has found three to four gas stations a week trying to, in his words, "cheat" customers. Malone said the most common "trick" is for a station to have alcohol in fuel that is advertised as having no alcohol. Malone said violating stations are charging 5 to 10 cents a gallon more for that fuel.
Weights & Measures has not released the names of the stations.
The department said it is conducting statewide checks to see if customers are getting what they paid for at the pump. Violating stations have their pumps shut down until they correct the problem. The state attorney general's office also is notified.
State attorney general Jun Bruning also said his office is investigating the allegations.And stations across Northeast Florida are quietly converting to E10, according to The Jacksonville Business Journal. Petroleum producers such as Hess, Chevron and BP, all with terminals in Jacksonville, are mandated by federal law to use a percentage of ethanol in petroleum products by year's end, said the report. In addition, the renewable energy bill recently passed by the Florida Legislature and expected to be signed by Governor Charlie Crist in June requires all gasoline sold in Florida to contain a minimum of 10% ethanol by 2011.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.