Two E85 fueling locations have recently become the 91 st and 92 nd in the state of Illinois. The dispensers, located in the cities of Virginia and Freeport, both held grand opening events to celebrate the introduction of the fuel.

State Senator Todd Sieben and State Representative Jim Sacia were in Freeport, Illinois December 7 to help officially open four E85 fuel pumps at Crestwood Oil at 1641 South Sleezer Home Road . The lawmakers hoped to draw attention to the environmental and economic benefits of E85 fuel.

“I’d like to commend Crestwood Oil and Adkins Energy for making E85 available here in Freeport,” Sieben said. “Using E85 supports our farmers while it reduces our dependence on foreign oil.”

Adkins Energy, a member of the NEVC, in Lena, Illinois, produces the ethanol used in the E85 blend available in Freeport.

“Crestwood Oil and Adkins have done a great job in bringing E85 to Freeport,” Sacia said. “It’s a home-grown fuel that supports our economy.”

Local car dealers brought FFVs to the event. A row of SUVs, trucks and cars, all ready to run on E85, lined the side of the Crestwood lot.

Responding to overwhelming requests from customers, the Extra Miles Refueling Station in Virginia, Illinois held its grand opening on Friday, December 9. The Cenex Xtramile (marquee sign above) is located at 352 North Morgan Street . Supporters of the station and grand opening included the Xtramile s tation, the American Lung Association of Illinois, the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, the Illinois Corn Growers Association, the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

According to Angela Tin, Director of Environmental Programs for the American Lung Association of Illinois, “E85 is often sold at prices comparable to or cheaper than regular unleaded gasoline, and burns cleaner than gasoline alone due to its high oxygen content. The price difference is due in part to the Illinois Sales Tax Exemption for E85 fuel signed by Governor Blagojevich in June 2003.”

There are more than 100,000 FFVs registered in Illinois, according to the American Lung Association of Illinois, who promote the use of E85 and other cleaner-burning fuels as a practical means of reducing air pollution statewide.

E85 is defined as a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. However; many times of the year, the fuel termed as “E85” is actually a blend of fuel that contains less than 85% ethanol. For many cold temperature months of the year, a 70% ethanol blend is used at retail fueling facilities.

An E70 blend (70% ethanol, 30% gasoline) is used to ensure proper fuel volatility and vehicle starting/operations in cold temperatures. Gasoline and diesel blends change with the seasons in the same way. "Carrying" summer fuel into fall temperatures could result in problems in many FFVs.

If a retailer must order a new load of product, he must ensure the E70 specification is met for winter months. If a retailer has an inventory of E85 in his tank when winter arrives, it is best that he "blends it down" with gasoline at the time of a next gasoline delivery to reach the desired 70% alcohol-blend.

In spring, as the weather warms, the blend change is not as critical. FFVs can operate on any blend during warmer months.

E85 fuel must meet winter time seasonal blend percentages required by ASTM 5798 or retailers risk having their E85 dispensers “red tagged” and shut down by the state weights and measures inspector.

To view a copy of fuel specifications in the Handbook for Handling, Storing, and Dispending E85, go to http://www.e85fuel.com/pdf/e85_technical_booklet.pdf.

-from the Marshalltown Times Republican by State Senator Larry McKibben

I recently joined Iowa Senate Republicans unveiling a measure to encourage Iowans' use of E85, the fuel that is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. The measure would help install a total of 1,800 new E85 pumps in Iowa over the next nine years by providing $25,000 grants to help cover retailers' installation costs. The proposal would take $5 million annually from the Iowa Values Fund to fund 200 grants a year.

The measure also would provide retailers a 10 cent-per-gallon credit on each gallon of E85 sold. The Department of Natural Resources projects 650,000 gallons of E85 will be sold in Iowa this year.

The future of ethanol sales in Iowa depends on E85. As more and more people turn to flexible fuel vehicles, the demand for E85 is growing. Currently, we only have 26 E85 pumps in Iowa. In order to encourage more use of E85, we need to help build the infrastructure necessary for drivers to access the fuel.

These E85 incentives would also fit in with tax incentives at the federal level. The energy bill recently passed by Congress provides retailers with a tax credit of up to $30,000 for E85 tank installation. If a retailer receives the maximum federal tax credit, the combined state-federal assistance would be $55,000. This would help defray E85 installation costs that are estimated between $60,000 and $80,000 for the E85 pump and tank.

In addition to the E85 incentive, the proposal also includes an incentive for bio-diesel sales in Iowa. Under the measure, retailers would receive a 10 cent-per-gallon credit on each gallon of bio-diesel sold.

The year 2005 has been the most productive of any year for E85 and for the NEVC. An extensive number of models of flexible-fuel vehicles were offered, E85 retail facilities more than doubled, and a Federal Energy bill was finally signed by President Bush.

The automakers increased their production of FFVs and offered several new model E85 vehicles in 2005: DaimlerChrysler offered the Dodge Ram; General Motors offered the Chevy Avalanche and Nissan offered their Titan. General Motors also promoted their FFVs by providing each state involved with the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition a FFV for a year. They loaned an FFV to an organization in each 26 states to promote the FFV and E85.

By 2004 year end, there was a count of about 250 public E85 facilities across the nation. At 2005 year’s end, a total of 581 are located across the country. With support from our partners and with Congressionally Appropriated funds from the Department of Energy, all helped make this possible. Also, close partnerships with the American Lung Association, several Corn Grower Associations, State Governments, NEVC members and others made this possible.

Arguably the most significant accomplishment in 2005 was the passage of an Energy Bill. NEVC supporters and E85 advocates have been working on such a bill for years. As signed by President Bush on August 8, 2005, retailers will begin to receive income tax credits for installing E85 infrastructure after January 1, 2006.

“We are very pleased to have had such a productive year at the NEVC,” stated Phil Lampert, Executive Director of the NEVC. “This is an exciting time in the world of renewable fuels and ethanol and we are now more convinced then ever that the use of E85 can play a major role in reducing the nation’s dependence on imported petroleum. On behalf of all the staff and contractor support that we have across the nation, we pledge to work harder, smarter, and with additional focus to continue to advance the use of renewable-domestic transportation fuels.

Below is a list of fueling facilities that have installed E85 since issuance of our last NEVC newsletter, December 2, 2005.

The following 32 facilities are or will soon be carrying the clean burning, alternative – E85: