Now that more than 20,000 groups and individuals have submitted comments in support of an increase in ethanol blends up to 15 percent, the Environmental Protection Agency will have until December to make its ruling.
Growth Energy, an ethanol support group based in Washington, submitted a waiver request to EPA March 6 calling for allowance of the higher blends. If allowed by EPA, consumers would be able to buy ethanol blends up to 15 percent, 5 percent more than the current limit at the pumps, which could spur a resurgence of an ailing ethanol industry that has had to curtail production to line up with demand.
"By giving consumers a choice to go up to E15, there is a potential to drive up the demand side on ethanol," says Jeff Zueger, general manager of the Blue Flint Ethanol plant in Underwood, N.D. "Currently, we're in an overproduction capacity situation, so really, we need additional room within the market for the facilities that are already in place."
Corn-based ethanol plants that have been idled or shut down may be able to start production again.
"You read about plants that are already shut down that we can actually see within our state. It certainly would allow the potential for those types of plants to come back online and, by doing so, employing people at those facilities," he says.
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But in driving up the demand side, Zueger also foresees the ability to continue to grow production capacity and allow for additional production to come online.
Reports submitted
Growth Energy also submitted a 37-page analysis to EPA, which outlines scientific reports that increasing the blend to 15 percent would have no adverse effect on a car's performance, maintenance or emissions. One such report delivers findings by the Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology, which conducted a study of more than 400 vehicles, driving a total of 1.5 million miles on 100,000 gallons of midlevel ethanol blends.
"It found there were no significant issues and reduced tailpipe emissions," the Growth Energy analysis says.
The analysis also outlines support of the ethanol industry's effort to create jobs, increase U.S. energy independence and improve the environment.
According to a study conducted by North Dakota State University in Fargo, the 15 percent blend increase would create more than 136,000 jobs and inject $24.4 billion annually into the U.S. economy.
EPA generally is required to respond to the submitted comments and to take into account all of the relevant information from those comments and apply them in their rulemaking process, Zueger says.
Should the waiver be allowed, he thinks the next logical step for the ethanol industry might be to push for yet higher blends.
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"I would think that, logically, industry would try to take the next step to try to look at higher plans to continue to utilize domestic fuel and to try and allow for markets to match the renewable fuels standard that set a course for 36 billion gallons by 2022," he says.
