Bottom of the 4th and the EPA is ahead by a Grand Slam

The EPA just won in the court of appeals. It turns out that the Grocery Manufacturers Association was trying to stop the sale of E15 blended fuel. The court of appeals in DC upheld a previous attempt to stop the production of E15.

The big question is why is the Grocery Manufacturers Association getting involved? My guess is that it has to do with the supposed short fall of corn production the last couple of years. They must not know that corn production was down because of the drought not because of ethanol. As stated in a previous blog, we still had enough to export millions of tons of corn. Plus, most of the corn that we consume directly is sweet corn. This is not used to make ethanol. However, the same corn is used for both feed and ethanol.

Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) president and CEO, Kris Kiser, was disappointed in the ruling as well. The way he explains it is that the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has done its due diligence in proving that ethanol is good for the environment and will not cause harm to automobiles. The only way that this may get overturned is that if damage starts to happen. “It is regrettable that the court is insisting to see personal or economic injury before they can take action. Our interest is to protect the consumer; we’re trying to prevent the harm from happening in the first place,” says Kiser.

Kiser’s issue is not so much that E15 is here as it is to prevent it from being used in the wrong applications. In other words, lawn and garden equipment cannot use anything more than E10. Same with cars older than 2001. The only thing on the pump that is in place to prevent misfueling is a small decal with a warning. Kiser wants more; a different pump/hose is the ideal solution. In a previous blog, I stated that the EPA was trying to put minimums on how much gas a person could buy at one time. They wanted a 4 gallon minimum.

As an environmentally conscience society, we want a fuel source that is renewable and clean. Right now that is ethanol. Unfortunately, all of the issues that people keep coming up with are true. Ethanol is corrosive; it does absorb water; it will eat up a fuel system; and manufacturers will not cover these failures under warranty. Yet we do not have any other renewable resources that can be used right from the pump. The other choice is to purchase a new electric car. Even electrical cars are not 100% environmentally friendly as they use lead in the batteries. However, they are the lesser of two evils.

Until we get transporter technology or magnetically powered cars, we are stuck with ethanol. Fortunately, Ethanol Shield Combustion Cooled Technology (CCT) will prevent ethanol issues, corrosion, phase separation, drying, and cracking to name a few. Even if E-15 is used, Ethanol Shield CCT will protect the system. Oxidation caused from sunlight exposure or heat is also prevented by using Ethanol Shield CCT. If the unit is going to be stored for a while, use the new award winning Gasoline Tank Snake to prevent water build-up. When used with Ethanol Shield CCT, the fuel will have the gold standard of fuel protection.