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Ethanol, what an Expensive Mess :(
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Well, obviously the courts aren't concerned about safety or damage to boats and marine engines.
NMMA Dissatisfied with U.S. Court of Appeals Decision to Dismiss Recreational Boating Industry Concerns about E15
NMMA is disappointed by the decision released on Tuesday, October 21, 2014, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to dismiss the recreational boating industry’s challenge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule regarding misfueling mitigation plans surrounding the sale of E15. The case specifically challenged the EPA’s plans to prevent misfueling including the use of what NMMA believes is a highly inadequate pump warning label amongst other insufficient means.
The court held that those bringing the case, including the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Engine Products Group (EPG) which includes NMMA, failed to establish Article III standing—because they “cannot show members have suffered or are with suffering an injury in fact (due to sales of E-15) that is traceable to the misfueling regulation and redressable by a favorable decision.” With this decision the court has set an extremely high bar for industry challenges to regulatory action and fails to fully comprehend the seriously flawed misfueling rule by the EPA.
In 2012, this same group of industry stakeholders, including others such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association, legally challenged the EPA’s authority to grant a partial waiver permitting the sale of E15. That case was also dismissed on procedural grounds including a “lack of standing.”
This latest decision not only continues to allow the potentially dangerous E15 at gas pumps across the country, but continues to put consumers and retailers at extreme risk. The EPA’s rule does not make provisions to ensure that low ethanol fuels like E10 remain at the pump for consumers who may require them nor does it take any actionable steps towards educating consumers about how to choose the correct fuel for their needs.
EPA has done little to no work towards consumer education to prevent misfueling. E15 fuel was approved by the EPA in 2011 for use in a subset of on-highway motor vehicles including model years 2001 and newer. However, marine engines and other non-road engines such as snowmobiles, lawn and garden equipment remain unapproved, inevitably leading to concerns of widespread misfueling and confusion. In 2012, NMMA at its own cost distributed labels for the marine industry to warn against fueling marine engines with E15. This year, NMMA joined the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute in supporting the Look Before You Pump campaign, again focused on helping consumers understand how to prevent hazards at the pump.
“NMMA will be working on behalf of the boating industry to do everything we can to prevent misfueling through education and to take the necessary actions to ensure that compatible, low ethanol fuels remain available and affordable for the 89 million boaters enjoying our waters across the United States.” said Nicole Vasilaros, director of federal and legal affairs for NMMA. “And while this decision is disheartening, the matter is far from over. NMMA continues to actively seek Congressional action that will reform the Renewable Fuel Standard and protect recreational marine products and consumers.”
Questions? Contact Nicole Vasilaros at nvasilaros@nmma.org.
http://www.nmma.org/article.aspx?id=19419
NMMA Dissatisfied with U.S. Court of Appeals Decision to Dismiss Recreational Boating Industry Concerns about E15
NMMA is disappointed by the decision released on Tuesday, October 21, 2014, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to dismiss the recreational boating industry’s challenge of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule regarding misfueling mitigation plans surrounding the sale of E15. The case specifically challenged the EPA’s plans to prevent misfueling including the use of what NMMA believes is a highly inadequate pump warning label amongst other insufficient means.
The court held that those bringing the case, including the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Engine Products Group (EPG) which includes NMMA, failed to establish Article III standing—because they “cannot show members have suffered or are with suffering an injury in fact (due to sales of E-15) that is traceable to the misfueling regulation and redressable by a favorable decision.” With this decision the court has set an extremely high bar for industry challenges to regulatory action and fails to fully comprehend the seriously flawed misfueling rule by the EPA.
In 2012, this same group of industry stakeholders, including others such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association, legally challenged the EPA’s authority to grant a partial waiver permitting the sale of E15. That case was also dismissed on procedural grounds including a “lack of standing.”
This latest decision not only continues to allow the potentially dangerous E15 at gas pumps across the country, but continues to put consumers and retailers at extreme risk. The EPA’s rule does not make provisions to ensure that low ethanol fuels like E10 remain at the pump for consumers who may require them nor does it take any actionable steps towards educating consumers about how to choose the correct fuel for their needs.
EPA has done little to no work towards consumer education to prevent misfueling. E15 fuel was approved by the EPA in 2011 for use in a subset of on-highway motor vehicles including model years 2001 and newer. However, marine engines and other non-road engines such as snowmobiles, lawn and garden equipment remain unapproved, inevitably leading to concerns of widespread misfueling and confusion. In 2012, NMMA at its own cost distributed labels for the marine industry to warn against fueling marine engines with E15. This year, NMMA joined the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute in supporting the Look Before You Pump campaign, again focused on helping consumers understand how to prevent hazards at the pump.
“NMMA will be working on behalf of the boating industry to do everything we can to prevent misfueling through education and to take the necessary actions to ensure that compatible, low ethanol fuels remain available and affordable for the 89 million boaters enjoying our waters across the United States.” said Nicole Vasilaros, director of federal and legal affairs for NMMA. “And while this decision is disheartening, the matter is far from over. NMMA continues to actively seek Congressional action that will reform the Renewable Fuel Standard and protect recreational marine products and consumers.”
Questions? Contact Nicole Vasilaros at nvasilaros@nmma.org.
http://www.nmma.org/article.aspx?id=19419
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Busting Ethanol Fuel Myths
Learn what you can do to prevent phase separation and limit other ethanol-related fuel problems.By Tom Burden,
Problems with the transition to E10 fuel
The most likely time for fuel problems occurs when you first begin using ethanol-blended fuel. When E10 is added to a fuel system that has been using non-ethanol gasoline, ethanol, as a new solvent, will tend to dissolve and loosen deposits that are present in the tank and fuel system. Phase separation may occur, resulting in an approximately 50/50 ethanol and water layer at the bottom of the fuel tank. To limit problems with a changeover to E10:
- Check for the presence of water in the fuel tank. Inspect the water-separating fuel filter on larger engines. If water is found, pump the tank dry from the fuel line or siphon the tank dry. Examine the fuel in a clear container. If the fuel is not clear or has a sour odor, the tank should be cleaned.
- Add a quality cleaner to help clean deposits in engine
- Completely fill the tank with E10 fuel to maximize the amount of ethanol in the tank to absorb any water present
- Monitor filters and carry extra fuel filters due to filter-clogging concerns
Seasonal storage with E10 fuel is another likely time for problems. During storage, fuel will tend to oxidize; it will become “sour”, and may absorb water from condensation. Water-holding capacity of E10 fuel is reduced with lower temperatures, so phase separation is more likely with winter temperatures. E10 can hold approximately 0.5% water at 60°F (.64 ounces in a gallon, or 12 ounces of water in a 20-gallon gas tank), but can only hold about 0.35% water at 20°F (.45 ounces in a gallon).
If possible, store your boat for the winter with a full fuel tank. Add a fuel stabilizer to the fuel at the recommended dosage. Run the engine for 10 minutes to distribute stabilized fuel into the engine and fuel lines. Top off the tank to reduce the amount of exchange with the air that may bring in condensation. Note: Some storage facilities require that fuel tanks be empty for storage.
MYTH: Fuel additives can cure or prevent all issues from ethanol-blended fuel.
TRUTH: There is no practical additive that can prevent phase separation from occurring. The only practical solution is to keep water from accumulating in the tank in the first place. In addition to using high-quality fuel additives, you should purchase quality fuel from trusted sources, check fuel filters and fuel tanks periodically for sediment and water, and keep up with manufacturer-recommended preventative maintenance schedules.
MYTH: Fuel additives can make phase-separated fuel (that has separated into layers of water and low-octane gas) usable.
TRUTH: “Bad” fuel should be completely removed and replaced with fresh fuel. Nothing can rejuvenate old fuel. To prevent fuel from going bad, most manufacturers recommend high-quality fuel additives to prevent sediment, gum and varnish buildup that forms when fuel goes bad, control moisture, help prevent phase separation and prevent fuel system corrosion.
MYTH: Ethanol-blended fuels are bad and should be avoided.
TRUTH: Ethanol blended fuels (E10) are common throughout much of the United States. After the transition period from non-ethanol fuel, E10 may actually be a superior marine fuel, as it tends to keep low levels of water moving through the fuel system, keeping the system “dry”. For over a decade, marine engines have been engineered to handle E10 gasoline. However, all types of fuels should be treated if they won’t be used in a few weeks.
We still don’t know how and when E15 will be offered for sale, or if it will ever be sold in your local marina. We do know that you don’t want it in your marine engine, as the experts are unanimous on the subject. According to Mercury Marine: “Fuel containing higher proportions of ethanol is not compatible with many fuel system and engine components and, if mistakenly used, will cause irreversible damage to these components that will lead to engine failure and potential safety risks.” At this time, we can only warn you about the possibility of confusion and the risk of accidentally filling your boat’s gas tank with E15.
- Do not put any fuel containing more than 10% ethanol (E10) in your boat’s fuel tank or outboard motor (EPA’s decision only applies to 2007 and newer highway vehicles), unless your owner’s manual specifically states otherwise.
- Check the pump to be sure that it is dispensing E10. Some gas pumps at local gas stations may offer both E10 and E15, or have blender pumps that dispense mid-level ethanol fuels for Flex-Fuel automobiles. Higher ethanol fuel (E15) may be less expensive than regular (E10) fuel, but putting E15 into an E10 approved vessel could cause engine and fuel system damage.
- Many boaters who trailer their boats (about 90% of recreational boat owners in the U.S.) fill their boat’s gas tank and/or gasoline can when they fill up their tow vehicle. Be sure that the gas can is filled only with E10 fuel. This will require a change of procedure when you fill up the new Silverado or Tundra truck, and then automatically top-up the tank for the wakeboard boat or fill the gas can for the Evinrude.
https://www.westmarine.com/west-advisor/Busting-Ethanol-Fuel-Myths.html
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