Senate Bill Could Stop Ethanol Steamroller

For the last year E-10 gasoline blends have been hitting Maine and causing the same problems there for boat owners and other gasoline equipment operators that boaters have experienced in other parts of the country for the last several years. Maine boaters have been raising hell and thankfully for all of us, their Senator – Susan Collins – has responded with a common sense bill to study the effects E-15 could have on the nation’s engines of all sorts, including marine, before heading pell-mell into E-15 and ethanol madness. While the powerful farmers' lobby is sure to open the flood gates of campaign donations to ram through an EPA E-15 waver, it will be hard for Congress to object to a rational “study.”

From a Press Release issued by the NMMA—

On Monday Senators Susan Collins (R- Maine), Ben Cardin (D- Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) introduced strong legislation designed to protect consumers, the environment, public health and manufacturers from the introduction of intermediate, or mid-level, ethanol blends in gasoline fuel, such as E15. S.1666, the “Mid-Level Ethanol Blends Act of 2009” would ensure new fuels introduced into the marketplace are compatible with the inventory of on-road and non-road gasoline engines, including boat engines, currently in use.

EPA E-15 Waver Started it All

Since the Clean Air Act (CAA) prohibits the sale of mid-level ethanol blends, the ethanol industry is currently seeking a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to sell E15 as a general purpose fuel.

Taking a “science-first” approach, S. 1666 is designed to protect consumers with marine engines, outdoor power equipment, other non-road engines as well as automobiles. The bill requires that EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) study the compatibility of such fuels with current engines before a waiver can be granted. The study would also include a comprehensive analysis of available independent scientific evidence on the compatibility of midlevel ethanol fuels with the emission requirements of the CAA and the operability of engines, among other things.

Senator Collins Speaks…

“During these difficult economic times, equipment damage due to ethanol-gasoline fuel blends only adds to the many challenges facing our nation’s farmers, fishermen, independent woodsmen, and recreational industry,” said Senator Collins. “As we pursue strategies to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, we must also take action to ensure that ethanol fuel blends are safe and efficient for small engines.”