North Dakota officials want more ethanol in gas

By DALE WETZEL

posted: 179 DAYS 23 HOURS AGO

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BISMARCK, N.D. -Increasing the ethanol content of gasoline will spur fresh demand for the renewable fuel without causing problems for cars, lawnmowers or weed trimmers, a former U.S. Energy Department official believes.

The Environmental Protection Agency is considering a request, submitted in March by an ethanol promotion group and more than four dozen manufacturers, to raise the maximum ethanol blend in gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent. The EPA is taking public comment on the proposal until July 20.

E-85, which consists of up to 85 percent ethanol, is not affected by the action. E-85 can be used only by "flex-fuel" vehicles that are equipped to handle it.

"There's no question that (the 15 percent limit) ... is the first and most immediate priority that Washington has got to focus itself on when it comes to biofuels," said Andy Karsner, a former assistant U.S. energy secretary who oversaw an agency office that promoted renewable fuels.

Karsner spoke Monday at a renewable energy conference at Bismarck State College, which was organized by Gov. John Hoeven and U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan.

The ethanol industry has struggled financially in recent months. Lower oil prices have made ethanol less attractive as a gasoline substitute. The cost of corn, from which ethanol is made, has stayed relatively high, which makes the fuel more expensive to manufacture.

"I worry that we're going to produce (ethanol) at a level that is not marketed, and we could have a very serious problem," Dorgan said. "We need to increase the blends. We need to do it soon."

Karsner said lab testing has shown that car and truck engines, along with the small engines that power lawnmowers and weed trimmers, can run well with an ethanol mix of 15 percent or higher. In Brazil, where ethanol made from sugar is a major source of fuel, the minimum blend is 22 percent, he said.

"The whole idea that all the weed-whackers and boats fail overnight is simply motivated by those who would like to see constraints on the growth of biofuels," he said.

Hoeven said raising the maximum blend to 15 percent would stretch existing fuel supplies and could help moderate prices.

"If (EPA) approved a 15 percent blend, look at the demand overnight that would create for ethanol, at a very important time in the biofuels industry," Hoeven said. "Our ethanol plants out there are struggling."

2009-06-02 11:33:50