Back in April, I wrote about the growing problem with ethanol in our fuel. I covered how it would damage motorcycle and other small engines, and how it would actually create more pollution. This topic is rapidly evolving and I thought I’d post an update on what has been happening.
If you haven’t already, you might want to read my April article on ethanol. It will do a lot to explain the issue and tell you what it needs to know. You will understand this post much better if you do. You can find it here:
What You Need to Know About Ethanol[1]
The Renewable Fuel Utilization, Expansion and Leadership (REFUEL) Act (H.R. 4673)
This bill was introduced last March and is sponsored by Congressman David Loebsack (D-Iowa) and is now in the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. [2] This bill would fund the building of new service stations and the retrofitting of existing ones to be able to dispense various grades of ethanol.[3] As I stated in my previous article, when using a blender pump to distribute multiple grades of fuel, the first quart or more of fuel dispensed is what is left in the hose from the previous fill-up. While that may not be a big deal filling up a car tank, it is significant when filling up a motorcycle, which probably has a tank capacity of less than five gallons.
There is also the risk of dispensing the wrong grade in error. Putting E15 or greater into your tank can void the warranty on your motorcycle.
I also showed in my previous article that the use of Ethanol will put more pollution into our environment in its production than it will save at the tailpipe.
Go here and find your congressman and let him know you are against H.R.4673.
The EPA Announces Ethanol Volume Requirements for 2017
Since the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 was passed, the United States has been required by law to move towards incorporating 36 billion gallons of biofuel into our fuel annually by the year 2022. Each year the EPA has raised the volume higher to work towards that goal. In 2015 the amount was 16.93 billion gallons and this year (2016) it is 18.11 billion gallons. The EPA announced on May 18 that the quota for 2017 is 18.8 billion gallons, 14.4 billion of which would be required to be corn based ethanol.[4]
The EPA acknowledges that these levels can’t be reached without increasing the amount of ethanol currently in our fuel. This is what is forcing the increase to E15. You can voice your concerns about this by signing the petition on the American Motorcyclist Association’s webpage. The petition can be found at:
https://cqrcengage.com/amacycle/app/write-a-letter?4&engagementId=221933
On June 8, 45 representatives issued a bipartisan letter to the EPA stating concerns about E15 related engine damage. This is especially of concern to motorcyclists. Was your representative one of the ones who signed this letter? You can find out here.
Food and Fuel Consumer Protection Act of 2016 (H.R. 5180)
There is hope.
This is a bipartisan bill introduced by Representatives Bill Flores (R-Texas) and Peter Welch (D-Vermont) that will stop the increasing ethanol madness by capping the ethanol mandate at 9.7%. This will help ensure the availability of safe fuels for motorcycles and other small engines like boats, lawn mowers, ATV’s, etc.[5]
Please contact your representative here and tell them you SUPPORT H.R. 5180.
[1] Downs, William. “What You Need to Know About Ethanol.” Live and Let Ride. 2016. Accessed July 02, 2016. https://liveandletride.wordpress.com/2016/04/11/what-you-need-to-know-about-ethanol/.
[2] “Text - H.R.4673 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): REFUEL Act.” Congress.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2016.
[3] “Refuel Act Would Increase the Spread of E15 Fuel.” American Motorcyclist July 2016: 12.
[4] “EPA Announces 2017 Ethanol Proposal, Fuel Standards.” American Motorcyclist July 2016: 12.
[5] “Bipartisan Support for Ethanol Limits.” American Motorcyclist July 2016: 12.
