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Growth Energy made a formal request to the Environmental Protection Agency Friday, March 6, requesting a waiver for the use of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol, up from the currently approved amount of 10%.
The request sets in motion a 270-day process by which the EPA has to answer the question of whether or not E15 will not affect the emission control systems in vehicles. Similar to any petroleum company asking for a waiver of a new fuel additive, the ethanol producers of Growth Energy are attempting to get approval for E15.
Dave Vander Griend, CEO of ICM Inc., a major builder of ethanol plants and a member organization of Growth Energy, explained that for the past 60 days Growth Energy has compiled its waiver request with the data supporting the safety of E15.
Studies have found that higher ethanol blends will not have an adverse affect on pollution, increase tailpipe emissions or increase in car problems, he said.
Vander Griend outlined a potential timeline would provide a comment period starting in the next three to four months, followed by an additional 30 to 60 days of comments. During that time, current ongoing studies can also be sent to EPA if completed within the comment period.
Gen. Wesley Clark, co-chairman of Growth Energy, also welcomed the opportunity to work with the USDA and EPA on efforts to provide short-term relief through a substantially similar waiver for E12 or E13. The EPA may use any of the data Growth Energy provided in its "green jobs" waiver application to support an immediate move while studying the merits and data on a move up to E15 within the 270 day timeframe.
Renewable Fuels Association CEO Bob Dinneen, said, "an immediate move to E12 is both prudent and scientifically supportable and will give the American ethanol industry breathing room to ensure that economic viability is preserved."
One of the major setbacks on increasing the blending levels have come from carmakers. However, Michael Harrigan, former Ford engineer and independent automotive consultant, stated, "As a fuel systems expert with nearly 30 years of experience in the automotive industry, I can state with confidence that research-approved E15 is completely acceptable for use in our cars. Vehicle fuel systems have been upgraded over the last 30 years to meet U.S. regulations by rigorous testing against aggressive laboratory test fuels. These upgrades began in the '80s which makes virtually all of the U.S. legacy fleet fully capable of handling this relatively small change in marketplace fuel."
Policy is one of the most important issues facing farmers today, but often the most difficult to digest. Jacqui Fatka has a passion to decode the often difficult world of agricultural policy into terms understandable for today's ag players.
Fatka joined the Farm Progress team as E-Content Editor in August 2003 after graduating from Iowa State University. Prior to full-time employment with Farm Progress, she interned at Wallaces Farmer magazine, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley's press office and the Iowa Pork Producers Association and freelanced for National Hog Farmer. She also worked as a public relations consultant with Iowa Industries for the Future, an effort to bring together major players in the biorenewables industry.
Currently Fatka is a staff editor at a sister publication, Feedstuffs. For Farm Futures she regularly tells the story of ongoing agricultural policy changes. Her byline can also be found on management profiles.
Fatka grew up on a grain and livestock farm near Atlantic, Iowa. She currently lives in central Ohio with her husband Eric.
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