DENVER -- General Motors Corp. (GM) and Governor Bill Ritter's Colorado E85 Coalition has announced plans for 40 new E85 fueling locations to be opened throughout the state by the end of 2007the largest one-time announcement made by GM and any state partner to date.
Colorado already has 13 E85 stations. The new fueling locations will be promoted by GM as part of a broader, ongoing national GM campaign to boost the use and awareness of ethanol-based E85 fuel in the United States.
The announcement was made at the State Capitol during [image-nocss] an event presided over by Ritter, GM executives and representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
I commend General Motors, our retail partners, the coalition and local organizations including the Colorado Corn Growers for making alternative fuels more widely available to Colorado drivers. The coalition's goal to increase alternative fuel awareness and infrastructure statewide bring Coloradans more options and reasons for choosing biofuels. These are the necessary steps to support new energy economies and decrease our oil dependence, said Ritter.
Collaboration with state government leadership has helped ensure E85 can be made more widely available to consumers at a time when Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has temporarily suspended authorization for manufacturers to use UL Markings on E85 fuel-dispensing devices. Working together, the Fire Marshals' Association of Colorado (FMAC), the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety, the Colorado Division of Fire Safety and the Office of Energy Management & Conservation (OEMC) were able to develop appropriate guidelines for local jurisdictions to continue to use E85 fuel dispensers until UL resumes listing fuel-dispensing equipment.
We appreciate the efforts of Governor Ritter and the OEMC to support E85 ethanol and we commend the fire marshals for developing a statewide plan to continue to make this great fuel alternative available in Colorado as UL progresses with testing and certification, said Elizabeth Lowery, GM's vice president of environment and energy. At GM, we believe that the biofuel with the greatest potential to displace petroleum-based fuels in the U.S. is ethanol and we have made a major commitment to vehicles that can run on E85 ethanolwith over two million of our flex-fuel vehicles on the road today and plans to expand production going forward. We will continue to work with government, organizations and retailers to promote increased use and awareness of E85 ethanol across the country.
As part of the partnership, GM will promote the availability of the fuel with consumer and dealer outreach. Local GM dealers will help promote these new refueling stations whenever customers purchase flex-fuel vehicles.
The new announcement is part of a nationwide effort by GM to help grow the E85 fueling station infrastructure. Since May 2005, GM has announced partnerships in 12 states (South Dakota, California, Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and Virginia) to locate more than 200 E85 fueling pumps at stations around the country.
The goals of the Colorado E85 Coalition depend upon strategic partnerships with key retailers like Pester Marketing and Western Convenience. These two retailers said they are committed to opening 12 and 10 of the E85 fueling sites, respectivelyas well as some biodiesel sites.
As the number of flex-fuel vehicles on Colorado roads continues to increase, Pester is pleased to be able to provide our customers with convenience while supporting the use of cleaner burning fuels, like E85 ethanol, said Rich Spresser, executive vice president of Pester Marketing, Denver.
Western Convenience is proud to offer its customers and the many Colorado motorists greater access to E85 fuel, said Bob Van Meter, director of operations of Western Convenience, Denver. Our 10 sites will make alternative fuels available across the state.
The DOE recently awarded the coalition nearly $400,000 for increasing alternative fuel infrastructure development and usage in Colorado.
In celebration of the announcement, GM funded discounted E85 fuel promotions at a local fuel station. For the day only, E85 ethanol was available for 85 cents per gallon between the hours of 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. at the Hill Petroleum Sinclair Oil Station in Arvada.
GM's E85 partnership and marketing campaign are designed to encourage greater E85 use and showcase GM's E85 flex-fuel vehicle leadership to U.S. consumers. GM has more than two million E85 flex-fuel vehicles on the road in all 50 states, and will produce more this year. For the 2007 model year, GM is offering 16 E85 ethanol-capable vehicle models, with an annual production of more than 400,000 vehicles, more than any other manufacturer, it said.
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