Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, USA



AAA is continuing its assault against higher ethanol use in the transportation energy, speaking out in support of reducing the renewable fuel mandate for 2014. The organization said that renewable-fuel requirements need to be lowered to avoid the so-called "blend wall" that could drive up gas prices. In addition to the threat of such higher prices, AAA continued to call gasoline with a 15 percent ethanol blend, or E15, "potentially damaging" to vehicles compared to the typical 10-percent blend being used.

AAA cited reports saying that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will recommend cutting the renewable fuels mandate next year by about 16 percent to about 15.2 billion gallons. AAA says these cuts are appropriate because, as opposed to many projections, overall fuel use remains relatively unchanged due to an economy that's growing slower than expected as well as the proliferation of more fuel-efficient vehicles. AAA also cited a report from last year saying that just five percent of the 240 million vehicles on US roads have been approved by their manufacturers for E15 use.

Late last year, AAA joined Big Oil's campaign against E15 legalization, saying that fuel with higher alcohol content poses long-term risks for light-duty vehicle engines. Not everyone agrees. Last month, a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report said that E15 will have no "meaningful" effect on car engines. Of course, the report was sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). The EPA officially approved the legalization of E15 sales last June. Read AAA's recent statement below.Continue reading AAA once again calls on feds to slow down E15 implementation

AAA once again calls on feds to slow down E15 implementation originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 30 Oct 2013 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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