In March 2009 an ethanol lobby group called “Growth Energy,” representing over 50 ethanol-producing plants petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to increase the currently allowable gasoline blend rate of ethanol in gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent. The petition was posted in the Federal Register in March 2009, and provided for a 60-day comment period.
The EPA was inundated with over 300,000 comments and, as a result, extended the comment period to July 20, 2009. According to the Federal Register, the EPA was to make a decision on their petition or before Dec. 1, 2009.
I searched the Federal Register in early December, and could not find that the EPA had rendered its decision. So, I placed a call to EPA Region 6 office in Dallas to inquire.
I spoke with a Sandra Rennie in the EPA’s Air Planning Section in Dallas. She told me that the EPA had written to Growth Energy that they could not make a decision on their petition at this time as they needed more time to evaluate the impact of sustained, long-term use of 15-percent ethanol gasoline on vehicles over a longer period of time. Rennie told me the EPA anticipated making a decision in August 2010.
You can read EPA’s letter to Growth Energy at this link: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/fuels/additive/lettertogrowthenergy11-30-09.pdf
If the EPA does approve the use of “E-15” gasoline (which appears from the tone of this letter they will do), the marine industry in the US will be crippled if we are not able to find a source of non-ethanol gasoline. Each and every marine-engine manufacturer that sells marine engines in the United States warns users to “under no circumstance use gasoline containing greater than 10 percent ethanol or severe engine damage will result and the engine’s warranty will be void.”
I have spoken with my St. John Parish state senator and representative and asked them to introduce a bill in the April 2010 session of the Louisiana Legislature to require gas stations to have at least one pump that sells non-ethanol 87-octane regular gasoline.
A friend of mine manages a large gas distribution terminal in Kenner. He tells me that since the price of gasoline has risen so sharply in the past three years or so, their sales of “mid-grade 89 gasoline” has plummeted. I will ask that stations be required to remove their mid-grade tank and pump from 89-octane gasoline service and convert it to sell non-ethanol 87-octane regular gasoline.
I also spoke with Governor Jindal about this issue at a Chamber of Commerce meeting in LaPlace this summer. He indicated he would support this measure. According to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, there are 316,593 boats registered in Louisiana by the end of 2008, illustrating the scale of the potential impact of the introduction of E-15 gasoline.
We will need everyone’s support on this issue when the bills are filed in the Legislature in April. If you are not aware who your state senator and representative are, use this link and follow these instructions:
1. First click on this link to learn who is your State Representative and Senator: http://www.legis.state.la.us/
2. You will see the first section on the top of the page titled “Your Louisiana Legislators.” Click on “Find Out” after the sentence “Who are your State Senators and Representatives.”
3. Enter your address, city and zip code as requested, then click the “Search” box. You will be provided with the names of your district’s state senator, state Representative and also your U.S. senators and district representative. Click on their name to bring up their web site.
4. To learn how to contact your state legislators, click on the “Here’s How!” after the line that says “How do I contact my State Senators and Representatives.”
5. Another window titled “How do I contact my legislator?” opens. If you click on the “House of Representatives Member Info” (purple lettering near the top of the page) you will be provided an alphabetical listing of each state representative by name, district, office address, phone number and e-mail address. Do the same for the “Senate Member Information” link.
You will notice that under this section is another section that describes how to reach your senator and representative while they are in session in Baton Rouge.
Everyone is encouraged to find their state senator and representative’s name, office address, phone number and e-mail address from this web site.
I will post on LouisianaSportsman.com when my state senator and representative introduce the bills, along with the respective bill numbers and titles. I will ask that each and every boater, fisherman, fishing guide, etc., bombard their state senators and representatives with phone calls, letters and e-mails to support these bills.
If we can get this enacted into Louisiana law, this may be our only chance of survival.
