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Flex Fuel Program Offers Consumers More Choices At The Pump
Missouri drivers can expect to see additional alternatives at the gas pump as state officials initiate a pilot program allowing the sale of ethanol blends ranging from 10 to 85 percent.
The Missouri Corn Growers Association (MCGA), Missouri Renewable Partners (MRP), Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) and the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) Weights and Measures Division are working together to implement this new program.
LifeLine Foods-Ethanol Division in St. Joseph, MO, has served as a representative from Missouri’s farmer-owned ethanol industry in this pilot. The program has been awarded a one-year permit and will then be reviewed by MDA for statewide implementation.
All pilot locations must be approved through the MDA Weights and Measures Division and MCGA.
“This is an important step towards providing Missouri consumers with new energy options that can offer both economic savings and improved fuel mileage,” said Gary Clark, MCGA senior director of marketing. “Our goal is to work with MDA and fuel retailers across the state to make sure proper and workable measurement standards are established while helping install locations where consumers can benefit from these mid-range ethanol blends.”
If the ethanol is priced correctly by petroleum marketers and gas stations, blender pumps can offer substantial savings to consumers.
Studies conducted by the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and the state of Minnesota have concluded that mid-range blends of 20 to 30 percent ethanol may optimize gas mileage in today’s Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV). Several states, including South Dakota and Kansas, have already implemented blender pump programs.
A copy of the latest ethanol research is available at www.ethanol.org.
“As a regulatory agency, we want to work with MCGA and retailers so they can market a variety of ethanol blends—E20, E30, E40 and E85—all from one pump,” said Ron Hayes, director of MDA’s Weights and Measures Division. “Once this program showcases accurate measurements and positive results for drivers, we will move toward a permanent standard for all Missouri retailers.”
Currently, ethanol blends higher than 10 percent are only approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for FFVs. To find out if your vehicle is flex-fuel compatible, visit www.moflexfuel.com.
For more information on the blender pump program or ethanol production in Missouri, visit www.mocorn.org or call the Missouri Corn office at (573) 893-4181.
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