Approved E15 label creates concerns, cheers

The Environmental Protection Agency approved a fuel pump label today for the blend E15 (15% ethanol and 85% gasoline), that the agency had declared safe for vehicles 2001 or newer back in January of this year.

The work on approving the E15 blend for non-flex fuel vehicles has been an ongoing ordeal for quite some time but progress continues to be made with the label finally being approved making the blend closer to a reality in the marketplace.

While the E15 label isn’t perfect, South Dakota Corn Growers Association President, Gary Duffy feels that it is a definite improvement from previous drafts.

“We feel that the language, ‘may cause damage’ and orange color of the label doesn’t necessarily represent the fuel in positive light,” said Duffy. “But as an organization, we are happy to see the EPA use industry recommendations and we support the use of the label in the marketplace.”

Gaining additional access to the marketplace will be a giant step for the ethanol industry who has been up against a blend wall for decades as oil companies have maintained a comfortable 90% gasoline mandate in the United States. Studies show that the E15 blend will create over 100,000 additional green jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 40 million tons of CO2 per year and improve the countries’ overall energy security.

“We’re already reducing our dependence on foreign oil with our current ethanol production and E15 will only progress our country down the path of energy independence,” added Duffy.