A group representing more than 1,000 equipment manufacturers is applauding a rule-change that
Blender fuel pump in East Lansing, Michigan selling E15 together with the standard gasoline (E10), and the higher blends E30 and E85. (Note that Marathon Petroleum Company does not itself produce E85 fuel.)Photo: 127driver/Wikipedia Creative Commons Licence
would allow the sale of 15-percent ethanol-content gasoline year round.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced the change to the Clean Air Act in late May. The change provides a significant boost to America’s ethanol and corn industries,” Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers said in a news release.
“Ethanol is a critical part of our country’s strong energy policy as well as our national security strategy, as we source more renewable resources at home,” Slater added, noting that tractor sales correlate directly with farm income, “signaling the importance of today’s rule to equipment manufacturers.”
The rule will now allow the sale of E15 gasoline during the summer, which Slater said “will increase demand for corn, and in turn, the equipment our industry manufactures.” Previously E15 fuel was only allowed to be sold eight months of the year.
Not everyone is happy with the change. David DeGennaro of the National Wildlife Federation said the the higher ethanol content will increase smog, triggering more asthma attacks, according to a Michigan Public Radio article. The change will mean also people buying more fuel because E15 is less efficient than regular gasoline; and wildlife habitat would be threatened as farmers produce more corn for ethanol, DeGennaro added.