As you've undoubtedly seen on the TV and Internet and read in the papers, December 19, 2007 President Bush signed into law H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. With this new law comes the Renewable Fuels Standard which calls for at least 36 billion gallons of ethanol to be used nationwide in the U.S. by the year 2022.

To help in this increased usage will be the importance of the use of alternate levels of ethanol mixed with gasoline. Presently there are two grades E10 (10% ethanol) and E85 (85% ethanol) that are increasing in their use across the nation. And with some states already bringing in ethanol blender pumps it is possible for motorists to choose different blends of gasoline & ethanol. These new ethanol blender pumps provide blend mixes of E10, E20, E30 and E85.

As part of the H.R. 6 law, Section 244 authorizes a new $20 million program for the installation of blender pumps starting in the fiscal year 2008 through 2014. South Dakota & Minnesota already have blender pumps in several gas stations.

A recent research effort conducted by ACE (American Coalition for Ethanol, which we are a member), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy, shows that mid-range ethanol blends are very promising in terms of their fuel economy & vehicle emissions - including use in non-flex fuel vehicles.

• The Optimal Ethanol Blend-Level Investigation appears to support an optimal blend of ethanol & gasoline of E20 or E30. With these blends the cars used in the tests averaged better gas mileage than the standard gasoline models. More tests are needed and have been planned to help validate these initial exciting findings.

The fleet fuel standards have also been set to raise to 35 miles per gallon by 2020

 

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