Page 12 - Mid America Boating - June 2023 issue

E15 threatens boaters again!
By Norm Schultz

JUNE 2023 [ MID-AMERICA BOATING ] 12
Blenders of ethanol in gasoline are taking a victory lap these days as the US Environmental Protec-
tion Agency has just issued an “emergency waiver” allowing gas stations throughout the country to
sell gas blended with 15% ethanol (E15) during the summer.
Can our regulators be any more contradictory? (Please join me in a head slap.) You’ll recall the
rule preventing the sale of ethanol blends higher than E10 from June 1 to September 15 in two
thirds of the nation was, first and foremost, to prevent it from adding to smog conditions in the
warmer temperatures.
Air quality notwithstanding, it was also proven that higher ethanol content damages older cars
along with millions of small engines from marine powerplants to lawn mowers.
Now the EPA has flipped – kinda like someone trying to pass off M&M’s as Godiva choco-
lates! It now claims the higher ethanol blend shouldn’t add to poor summer air quality. But
wait, there’s more…
EPA also says its E15 move is to counter a
spike in gas prices because Russia’s invasion
of Ukraine makes our supplies uncertain.
Really? Never mind that the Energy Depart-
ment’s own Energy Information Adminis-
tration (EIA) indicates the U.S. market is
well supplied with gasoline. So, it’s hard to
see how EPA can justify this “emergency”
decision in light of statutory limitations
and the agency’s own stated understand-
ings of emergency criteria which require a
finding of inadequate domestic supply in
a specific geographic area.
As added cover for a bad decision, EPA
claims its action will reduce prices at the pump while boost-
ing demand for the primarily Midwest-based ethanol industry of roughly 200 blenders. Notably,
this group has been lobbying for years to allow year-round sales of E15 and even higher blends.
In 2022, those refineries produced over 15.4 billion gallons of ethanol, and the industry “eats up”
about 45% of the nation’s corn food crop. About one-third of that is grown in politically important
states of Iowa and Illinois.
Bottom line: There must be heightened awareness by boaters of the potential damage from
misfueling with E15. Marina fuel docks normally sell only ethanol-free fuel. But in Ohio, hundreds
of thousands of boats are kept at home, trailered to rivers and lakes, and fueled up at gas stations
on the way to launch. It’s there that boaters must watch what fuel is being sold to them. MAB

Find out why

you should use

a SAMS

surveyor BUILT STRONG

We are a custom boat trailer manufacturer
at... that specializes in building strong, quality trailers
for power boats, sailboats, classic boats,
combo trailers and more, ranging from 16–52’
in length, with a GVWR of up to 36,800 lbs.
www.marinesurvey.org mig-welded out of custom painted, or hot dip
Each Loadmaster Trailer is built to order and

galvanized, structural C-Channel steel.

Like us on
Facebook

1.800.344.9077 2354 E. Harbor Rd., Port Clinton, OH 43452 | loadmaster@cros.net
www.LoadmasterBoatTrailer.com

1-800-258-6115