Thursday, August 06, 2009

Move to raise ethanol share in gasoline has hurdles

If the federal government raises the standard for ethanol in gasoline to 15 percent from the current 10 percent, that "will not be enough to get the higher-proof fuel in motorists' tanks across the nation," Philip Brasher reports for The Des Moines Register. "The hurdles include federal rules for underground storage tanks as well as state regulations on gasoline specifications and safety rules for pumps," according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The ethanol industry is trying to get states to change their regulations by Dec. 1, EPA's announced date for a decision on the issue, but "A coalition of environmental groups has told the EPA there are so many regulatory hurdles facing E15 that it could be "multiple years" before the fuel can be sold in significant volumes," Brasher reports. What's the situation in your state?

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