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There is an interesting letter being distributed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture about the future availability of ethanol free premium unleaded gasoline.

On or about 1 December 2009, only 90 octane BOB will be coming down the Olympic pipeline from the four refineries on the Puget Sound, no finished premium unleaded of 91 AKI or higher.  The author of the letter does not understand that the 90 octane product is not legal gasoline, it is BOB which can only be used for making E10.

In order to meet the ethanol blending demands outlined in the federal RFS mandate, all auto gasoline will be E10 by the end of 2012, or sooner if gasoline demand continues to decline.

A copy of the letter is here:  www.e0pc.com/Premium.doc

There is an interesting letter being distributed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture about the future availability of ethanol free premium unleaded gasoline.

On or about 1 December 2009, only 90 octane BOB will be coming down the Olympic pipeline from the four refineries on the Puget Sound, no finished premium unleaded of 91 AKI or higher.

In order to meet the ethanol blending demands outlined in the federal RFS mandate, all auto gasoline will be E10 by the end of 2012, or sooner if gasoline demand continues to decline.

A copy of the letter is here:  www.e0pc.com/Premium.doc

The EPA has until 1 Dec. 2009 to make up their mind about foisting E15 on us.

Whichever way it goes there are going to be some major repercussions, both economically and legally.

Lets examine some of the scenarios.

1.  The EPA could do nothing, just as they did when the 10% ethanol waiver was proposed years ago.  By doing nothing, E15 will be allowed.

2.  The EPA could rule in favor of the E15 waiver.

3.  The EPA could allow the E15 waiver with exceptions.

4.  The EPA could deny the E15 waiver.

5.  The EPA could deny the E15 waiver and prohibit the blending of ethanol in all premium unleaded gasoline.

In scenario 1 & 2, the lawsuits will fly.  There are no car warranties that allow ethanol blend levels above 10%.  Maybe the EPA plans on using TARP money to pay for the damage to cars, boats and small engines.  Actually, nothing will probably happen for quite some time.  The distributors are going to have to think about the liability of selling E15.  They will probably be targets of the damage suits.  Service stations are going to have to think about their liability, since they will also be the targets in the damage suits, plus they have no U/L approved E15 pumps, so in some states they may not even be allowed to sell E15.  Any way you look at it, it is going to be a long time before E15 starts showing up in the marketplace widely.

Scenario #3 is the most interesting and troublesome for the ethanol industry.  The EPA could allow E15 for certain cars and might possibly prohibit the blending of ethanol in all premium unleaded gasoline so that those users that must have ethanol free gasoline have a universal source, like the marine and aviation industry and public safety.  Of course if that happens there goes 10-12% of the gasoline supply that they could be putting ethanol in.  Perhaps the ethanol industry shot themselves in the foot in their greedy haste.  After all the federal RFS mandate was supposed to be incentivising the production of E85 and flex-fuel vehicles, not making all of the gasoline in the country E10.  Since the EPA is the only department in the government responsible for ethanol policy and oversight, the liability rests on their doorstep.  The economic damage and possible deaths that occur because of ethanol blended fuel being used in equipment that it should not be used in will be entirely the result of their policy decisions.

Scenario #4 will have interesting consequences.  It will force the distributors to put ethanol in every last drop of gasoline they can find in the next two years as they hit the blending wall, resulting in more economic damage in the marine and aviation industry and small engine and public safety areas.  The ethanol industry will make a bald attempt at buying the corn state senators to force an E15 bill through congress.  Those senators are already making loud noises about such a bill.

Scenario #5 is the most ironic.  I’ll leave it to the reader to figure out the consequences.  The ethanol industry should be careful what they ask for.  If the EPA reads EISA 2007, this would be the logical scenario, then they would tell the ethanol industry to figure out how to make E85 viable.

EAA just sent out an email about the unexpected FAA issuance of a new Airport Compliance Manual with NO prior public comment.

You can read the announcement here:  http://www.eaa.org/news/2009/2009-10-15_rules.asp

Seems the FAA does not understand that mogas is an approved avgas because of the STC process.

"Autofuel was not recognized as an authorized aviation fuel, nor does it suggest that airports take actions to install self-service, ethanol-free premium grade autogas pumps to support the 100,000+ aircraft that use autogas as their primary, FAA-approved aviation fuel."

It is important that pilots provide comments to the FAA about the need for ethanol free mogas on public use airports.

You can find the regulation docket here:  http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#searchResults?Ne=11+8+8053+8098+8074+8066+8084+1&Ntt=faa+airport+compliance+rules&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchall&N=8061

Click on "Submit a comment" and tell the FAA that ethanol free unleaded auto gas is an approved avgas and we need it on our airports.

New Law Will Allow Stations to Sell Premium Gas Without Ethanol for Certain Non-Road Uses

The law has nothing to do with non-road uses.  It allows any outlet that sells ethanol free premium unleaded gasoline to sell it to anyone, there are no restrictions anymore.

Governor approves fix to state ethanol mandate
July 27, 2009

>...

“This bill will allow more retailers to sell unblended fuel to owners of the vehicles and tools who are exempted from the ethanol requirement,” Rep. Hanna said. “While improving access to unblended fuel, this new law will give the state’s renewable fuel standard an opportunity to work as it was originally intended.”

This is total bull shit.  This law does nothing to allow "... more retailers to sell unblended fuel ..." because more than 90% of the stations in Oregon only have two storage tanks for gasoline, one for regular and one for premium and the mid-grade pump gets its fuel from mixing the regular and premium.  The law cannot affect the mid-grade 10% ethanol blend requirement of HB-2210, so none of these stations can sell ethanol free premium unleaded gasoline.  Besides no branded station would be allowed to sell regular E10, mid-grade E10 and ethanol free premium by the brander.  The statement "... to owners of the vehicles and tools who are exempted from the ethanol requirement." is superfluous.  The only thing the law did was to remove any restrictions to who the dealer could sell the gasoline to.

New Law Will Allow Stations to Sell Premium Gas Without Ethanol for Certain Non-Road Uses

The law has nothing to do with off road use.  It allows any outlet that sells ethanol free premium unleaded gasoline to sell it to anyone, there are no restrictions anymore.

Governor approves fix to state ethanol mandate
July 27, 2009

>...

“This bill will allow more retailers to sell unblended fuel to owners of the vehicles and tools who are exempted from the ethanol requirement,” Rep. Hanna said. “While improving access to unblended fuel, this new law will give the state’s renewable fuel standard an opportunity to work as it was originally intended.”

This is total bull shit.  This law does nothing to allow "... more retailers to sell unblended fuel ..." because more than 90% of the stations in Oregon only have two storage tanks for gasoline, one for regular and one for premium and the mid-grade pump gets its fuel from mixing the regular and premium.  The law cannot affect the mid-grade 10% ethanol blend requirement of HB-2210, so none of these stations can sell ethanol free premium unleaded gasoline.  Besides no branded station would be allowed to sell regular E10, mid-grade E10 and ethanol free premium by the brander.  The statement "... to owners of the vehicles and tools who are exempted from the ethanol requirement." is superfluous.  The only thing the law did was to remove any restrictions to who the dealer could sell the gasoline to.

Bump...

Snohomish Cenex Co-Op just east of downtown still ethanol free on July 31st, 2009 at 2.749 a gallon.  Tested clear, no stickers yet on pump.

Snohomish Co Op still ethanol free as of last week...

Reports are that the 76 station just to the north of 15th St. in Auburn is still Alcohol free, as of July 19th

TEST ALL GAS

New Law Will Allow Stations to Sell Premium Gas Without Ethanol for Certain Non-Road Uses
OREGON


Governor approves fix to state ethanol mandate
July 27, 2009

New Law Will Allow Stations to Sell Premium Gas Without Ethanol for Certain Non-Road Uses
From Governor Kulongoski Office:

SALEM— The Governor this week signed HB 3497 to amend Oregon’s ethanol mandate by allowing service stations to sell premium, higher-octane gasoline without ethanol.  House Republican Leader Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg) and Rep. Tim Freeman (R-Roseburg) introduced HB 3497 to provide a common sense fix for certain classes of engines that don’t operate well with ethanol-blended fuel.

“HB 3497 will give service stations the choice of selling unblended premium fuel,” Rep. Freeman said. “The bill addresses the concerns we’ve heard from many Oregonians who have experienced problems with the state’s ethanol mandate. HB 3497 doesn’t repeal the mandate, but better enables loggers, snowmobilers, fisherman and others to purchase the fuel they need to operate their equipment safely and effectively.”

Under previous law, retailers are required to sell gasoline that contains at least 10 percent ethanol. Though a 2008 law permitted the sale of unblended fuel for certain non-road uses, unblended fuel has been difficult to access because of distribution and storage issues.

“This bill will allow more retailers to sell unblended fuel to owners of the vehicles and tools who are exempted from the ethanol requirement,” Rep. Hanna said. “While improving access to unblended fuel, this new law will give the state’s renewable fuel standard an opportunity to work as it was originally intended.”

House Bill 3497 exempts premium gasoline, which has an octane rating of 91 or above, from the 10 percent ethanol blending requirement imposed under ORS 646.913. The new law will apply to gasoline sales that occur on or after January 1, 2010.


Below is the section of the bill indicating what types of vehicles, aircrafts etc that can buy Ethanol free gas.

(5) A retail dealer, nonretail dealer or wholesale dealer may
sell or offer for sale gasoline that is not blended with ethanol
if the gasoline { +  has an octane rating, as defined in ORS
646.945, of 91 or above or if the gasoline + } is for use in:
 
 
Enrolled House Bill 3497 (HB 3497-INTRO)                   Page 1
 
 
 
  (a) An aircraft:
  (A) With a supplemental type certificate approved by the
Federal Aviation Administration that allows the aircraft to use
gasoline that is intended for use in motor vehicles; or
  (B) Issued a type certificate by an aircraft engine
manufacturer that allows the aircraft to use gasoline that is
intended for use in motor vehicles;
  (b) An aircraft that has been issued an experimental
certificate, described in 14 C.F.R. 21.191, by the Federal
Aviation Administration and that is required by the
manufacturer's specifications to use gasoline that is intended
for use in motor vehicles;
  (c) A light-sport aircraft, as defined in 14 C.F.R. 1.1, that
is required by the manufacturer's specifications to use gasoline
that is intended for use in motor vehicles;
  (d) A vintage aircraft, as defined by the Oregon Department of
Aviation by rule, that is required by the manufacturer's
specifications to use gasoline that is intended for use in motor
vehicles;
  (e) An antique vehicle, as defined in ORS 801.125;
  (f) A Class I all-terrain vehicle, as defined in ORS 801.190;
  (g) A Class III all-terrain vehicle, as defined in ORS 801.194;
  (h) A racing activity vehicle, as defined in ORS 801.404;
  (i) A snowmobile, as defined in ORS 801.490;
  (j) Tools, including but not limited to lawn mowers, leaf
blowers and chain saws; or
  (k) A watercraft.

New Law Will Allow Stations to Sell Premium Gas Without Ethanol for Certain Non-Road Uses



Governor approves fix to state ethanol mandate
July 27, 2009

New Law Will Allow Stations to Sell Premium Gas Without Ethanol for Certain Non-Road Uses
From Governor Kulongoski Office:

SALEM— The Governor this week signed HB 3497 to amend Oregon’s ethanol mandate by allowing service stations to sell premium, higher-octane gasoline without ethanol.  House Republican Leader Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg) and Rep. Tim Freeman (R-Roseburg) introduced HB 3497 to provide a common sense fix for certain classes of engines that don’t operate well with ethanol-blended fuel.

“HB 3497 will give service stations the choice of selling unblended premium fuel,” Rep. Freeman said. “The bill addresses the concerns we’ve heard from many Oregonians who have experienced problems with the state’s ethanol mandate. HB 3497 doesn’t repeal the mandate, but better enables loggers, snowmobilers, fisherman and others to purchase the fuel they need to operate their equipment safely and effectively.”

Under previous law, retailers are required to sell gasoline that contains at least 10 percent ethanol. Though a 2008 law permitted the sale of unblended fuel for certain non-road uses, unblended fuel has been difficult to access because of distribution and storage issues.

“This bill will allow more retailers to sell unblended fuel to owners of the vehicles and tools who are exempted from the ethanol requirement,” Rep. Hanna said. “While improving access to unblended fuel, this new law will give the state’s renewable fuel standard an opportunity to work as it was originally intended.”

House Bill 3497 exempts premium gasoline, which has an octane rating of 91 or above, from the 10 percent ethanol blending requirement imposed under ORS 646.913. The new law will apply to gasoline sales that occur on or after January 1, 2010.


Below is the section of the bill indicating what types of vehicles, aircrafts etc that can buy Ethanol free gas.

(5) A retail dealer, nonretail dealer or wholesale dealer may
sell or offer for sale gasoline that is not blended with ethanol
if the gasoline { +  has an octane rating, as defined in ORS
646.945, of 91 or above or if the gasoline + } is for use in:
 
 
Enrolled House Bill 3497 (HB 3497-INTRO)                   Page 1
 
 
 
  (a) An aircraft:
  (A) With a supplemental type certificate approved by the
Federal Aviation Administration that allows the aircraft to use
gasoline that is intended for use in motor vehicles; or
  (B) Issued a type certificate by an aircraft engine
manufacturer that allows the aircraft to use gasoline that is
intended for use in motor vehicles;
  (b) An aircraft that has been issued an experimental
certificate, described in 14 C.F.R. 21.191, by the Federal
Aviation Administration and that is required by the
manufacturer's specifications to use gasoline that is intended
for use in motor vehicles;
  (c) A light-sport aircraft, as defined in 14 C.F.R. 1.1, that
is required by the manufacturer's specifications to use gasoline
that is intended for use in motor vehicles;
  (d) A vintage aircraft, as defined by the Oregon Department of
Aviation by rule, that is required by the manufacturer's
specifications to use gasoline that is intended for use in motor
vehicles;
  (e) An antique vehicle, as defined in ORS 801.125;
  (f) A Class I all-terrain vehicle, as defined in ORS 801.190;
  (g) A Class III all-terrain vehicle, as defined in ORS 801.194;
  (h) A racing activity vehicle, as defined in ORS 801.404;
  (i) A snowmobile, as defined in ORS 801.490;
  (j) Tools, including but not limited to lawn mowers, leaf
blowers and chain saws; or
  (k) A watercraft.