Industry News: House Panel Approves Bill Blocking E15

[William Maley]

William Maley

Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

February 10, 2012

The House Science Committee approved a bill on Tuesday that bars the EPA from going forward with E15 till further studies are done.

The bill sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), was passed by a 19-7 vote as members voted along party lines.

Automakers and and corn growers have clashed over E15, which is made from 15 percent corn-based ethanol biofuel since 2010. The EPA has allowed E15 use in 2001 and newer vehicles, but various interest groups, including Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the American Petroleum Institute protested.

"This bill will halt EPA's rush to introduce mid-level ethanol blends and ensure such fuel blends receive the proper scientific analysis before being put into the marketplace," the groups wrote in a letter sent to the House Science Committee chair Ralph Hall (R-TX).

The American Coalition for Ethanol criticized the bill, saying EPA has already studied the fuel at length.

The bill would "create new and unnecessary over-regulation for E15 and other ethanol-blended fuels and block consumer fuel choice," said the group's executive vice president Brian Jennings. "No other fuel, including gasoline, has undergone the same battery of tests. Once it hits the market, E15 will be clearly labeled for its intended use for consumers to prevent misfueling in small and non-road engines."

This latest bill is another setback for Ethanol advocates. In December, Congress ended a 30 year subsidy for corn-based ethanol, that cost taxpayers an estimated $6 billion per year. Brazilian ethanol, which is made from sugarcane, also had its tariff lifted.

Source: The Detroit News

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[regfootball]

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[cletus8269]

no no no. we need to launch into this with reckless abandon... whats next? they start reading the bills completely before passing?

i am not completely content that the 10% isnt bad for my motor that was designed to run on "gasoline". since the first tank of the stuff it seemed like my milage slowly started dropping. it should go without saying that the impala never stops at a gas station unless it is strickly billed ethanol free. staybil has even come out with a product that supposedly neutralizes the ethanol in the gas to boot.

[G. David Felt]

Why do I get this feeling that the GOP is doing ths to continue to help reward the few rich enough to have an interest in pure gas only.

Sadly, this will continue to drive this country to depend on oil from outside when we could easily lead by example and move to 100% BioFuels. We have one of the most productive farming sectors in the world that could easily grow what is needed to create 100% BioFuel.

We need to take what has been proven to work in Brazil and expand it fast here.

[loki]

the first part of it sounds like it's barring unconstitutional laws, because they come from the EPA and not the congress..... until further studies are done.

Dfelt. - "was passed by a 19-7 vote as members voted along party lines." sounds like "both parties" have interests on their respective sides

what's keeping us dependent on oil from "outside" is that we don't have the infrastructure and development to use what we have here because of other laws, not because of this law or other laws dealing with "biofuels".

[regfootball]

i am not opposed to E85.

I am opposed to mandatory ethanol like my state. 10% less mpg, gums up my car, so basically i pay an extra 10% for gas that ruins my car and goes right to ag subsidies.

i call it the ethanol tax.

what i do like, E85 capability, let's mandate that. then we can CHOOSE. if i want to, i can put E85 in my car. But my gas, i want to be 100% non ethanol.