Senate panel to hold hearing on ethanol mandate Voice your concerns!

Butch

poseur
Staff member
Stolen from SBR, but it must be on the AMA site...
If you have been paying attention, they want to use more corn to make fuel. More Greenwashing, that and ethanol does not make many small engines happy. Stop them.

Take Action!
https://cqrcengage.com/amacycle/app...16HwAVIdHTyJii7zr72dV1OmAuIiOoasG8aBgu4c&lp=0

On Feb. 24, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, chaired by U.S. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), will hold a hearing on “Oversight of the Renewable Fuel Standard.”

The American Motorcyclist Association needs all riders to let their senators know they are concerned about higher ethanol blends. Send a prewritten message today by clicking the “Take Action!” button.

The Renewable Fuel Standard volume requirements announced in November by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency increase the risk of inadvertent misfueling for motorcyclists and all-terrain-vehicle owners by mandating the widespread availability of higher-ethanol fuel blends, such as E15.

None of the estimated 22 million motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles in use in the United States is approved by the EPA to operate on ethanol blends higher than 10 percent. Using higher-ethanol blends in those vehicles is illegal and may cause engine and fuel system damage and void the manufacturer's warranty.

The practical effect of the EPA’s action is that ethanol production will exceed the “blend wall.” That means more E15 and less E10 on the market.

Regarding E0, the EPA discounts it and does not factor it in its scenarios. The EPA views E0 as a “constraint on the volume of ethanol that can be consumed … and expect(s) such volumes to be lower than they were in the past as the market strives to expand consumption of ethanol under the influence of the RFS program.” This statement contradicts the data from the federal Energy Information Administration that shows demand for E0 rose from 3.4 percent in 2012 to nearly 7 percent in 2014. Consumers want E0 for their motorcycles, ATVs, boats, lawn mowers and other equipment, because it does not pose the risk of engine and fuel system damage.

Despite the increased demand, the EPA rule reduced the amount of E0 from 9.2 billion gallons to just 130 million in 2016.

Most importantly, the rule mentions the likelihood of misfueling only once. The rule states: “…in June of 2011, the EPA finalized regulations to prevent misfueling of vehicles, engines, and equipment not covered by the partial waiver decisions.” This is the same misfueling mitigation plan that initially mandated a four-gallon minimum fuel purchase to address the concerns raised by the AMA. Following our complaints, the regulation eventually was revised in 2013 to the current plan, yet it is still easily misunderstood, misapplied or ignored by state governments and producers, distributors and vendors.

Indeed, the EPA has made it illegal for motorcyclists and ATV users to use E15 fuel, and yet seems to have little interest in the misfueling issue. It appears that the EPA does not consider the concerns of motorcyclists and ATV owners, despite knowing that none of the estimated 22 million motorcycles and ATVs in use in the United States is approved to use E15 or higher ethanol blends.

Voice your concern today by clicking the “Take Action!” button.
 
Last edited:
Top