Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, wrote an op-ed that appeared in Saturday’s edition of The Argus Leader out of Sioux Falls, SD.
The focus of this column was higher ethanol blends. Dinneen points out the benefits of E10:
E10 is everywhere - in the gas tanks of cars, trucks, delivery vans, motor boats, lawnmowers, weed whackers, chain saws and portable generators - providing the power and performance that owners expect.
Ethanol blends also can offer consumers savings at the pump. It is common across the nation, particularly in South Dakota and other Midwestern states, for E10 blends to provide significant savings of 10 cents or more per gallon compared to plain gasoline, further increasing the incentive to buy this clean, American-made fuel.
With the use of ethanol growing, ethanol blends above 10 percent are rapidly becoming needed. Higher blends, such as E85 (85 percent ethanol/15 percent gasoline), are readily available in many parts of South Dakota and increasingly available across the country.
Dinneen goes on to discuss the merits of a higher ethanol blend, including the fact that they are safe for use in current vehicles:
The ethanol industry wants to increase the amount of ethanol (currently capped at 10 percent) blended in gasoline. Preliminary data and further scientific research demonstrate that higher levels, perhaps 15 percent or 20 percent, are effective and safe for use in standard vehicle engines.
The column wraps up with encouragement to all drivers - ethanol definitely trumps reliance on foreign oil.
Well said.
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