In This Issue:

FYI Newsletter Volume 10, Issue 3, March 11, 2005 

•  50 Year Old Company Installs E85 Pump •  Six New E85 Sites in South Carolina •  U.S. Must Address Global Warming,     Bush Ally Says •  Director of Agriculture Attends    Commodity Classic •  University of Michigan Support    Alternative Fuels

•  New E85 Location in Spencer,    Iowa •  NEVC Attends Iowa Petroleum    Marketers’ Expo •  NEVC Sponsors Clean Cities    Conference Luncheon •  Letters to the NEVC

50 Year Old Company Installs E85 Pump

Marion and Anita Wolff, owners of Wolff Oil Company, will be celebrating 50 years in the business by offering E85. The station, located on historic route 66 in Litchfield, Illinois, has recast itself from a gasoline station to a “biostation” and will now only be offering fuels blended with renewable products.

“The owners think that E85 is the fuel of the future,” said Office Manager and Service Station Clerk Sheri Lemonds. “Marion has always been great about being the first to bring new things to the community.”

“Marion and Anita Wolff are clearly entrepreneurs that exhibit the best in American innovation and foresight,” stated Phil Lampert, Executive Director of the NEVC. “We are very pleased to be able to support the efforts of the Wolffs who continue provide leadership and good business practices in their community.”

Wolff Oil officially began pumping E85 on March 7. The station is located at 1511 Old Route 66 North in Litchfield and is open Monday through Saturday 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.

Illinois now has 24 E85 fueling locations in the state. For a complete listing of sites, go to www.E85Fuel.com.

 U.S. Must Address Global Warming, Bush Ally Says

-from Reuters, March 3, 2004

Former Secretary of State James Baker, a close ally of the Bush family, broke ranks with the Bush administration on March 3 for the United States to get serious about global warming.

Baker, in a speech to an audience that included a number of oil company executives, said "orderly" change to alternative energy was needed.

"It may surprise you a little bit, but maybe it's because I'm a hunter and a fisherman, but I think we need to a pay a little more attention to what we need to do to protect our environment," he told the Houston Forum Club.

"When you have energy companies like Shell and British Petroleum, both of which are perhaps represented in this room, saying there is a problem with excess carbon dioxide emission, I think we ought to listen," Baker said.

Baker ran presidential campaigns for George Bush (news - web sites) and served in his Cabinet and led George W. Bush's controversial legal fight to win the Florida vote in the 2000 election.

The current Bush administration has been skeptical about global warming and refused to sign on to the international Kyoto Treaty to combat climate change, saying it would hurt the U.S. economy.

Baker said he agreed with the decision not to join Kyoto, calling it "a lousy treaty" because it did not include China and India.

But he said he supported "a gradual and orderly transition" to new fuels.

"I think we need to go forward with some sort of gradual, resourceful search for alternative sources," Baker said.

Many scientists blame the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil for creating a "greenhouse" effect that is warming the world climate.

The United States is the leading oil consumer and top producer of greenhouse gases. Most U.S. energy companies reject the idea that global warming is occurring.

Director of Agriculture Attends Commodity Classic

Fun southern hospitality was the order of business at the 2005 Commodity Classic in Austin, Texas the week of February 21.  Over 3,300 attended the event and this year’s trade show was reported the largest in history with 708 booths representing 186 companies.   

The event kicked off on February 23 with the GM and NEVC Ropin' Em in with E85 Reception which featured the legendary Jerry Jeff Walker (seen left).   

“It was an awesome Texas style evening featuring one of the state’s true musical legends, Jerry Jeff Walker,” commented NEVC Chairman, Curtis Donaldson who resides in Austin.  “Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the company of fellow E85 advocates.”  

Gary Herwick, General Motors Manager of Alternative Fuels, thanked the crowd for attending the reception and announced a program that will deliver flexible-fuel Chevrolet Avalanches to Governors belonging to the Governors Ethanol Coalition.  The Avalanche will be handed over to Texas Governor Rick Perry in weeks to come. 

Donaldson added, “We’re excited about this great opportunity that GM is providing to the 28 states and specifically here in Texas as we begin a campaign to bring E85 to the state.  This will be a great marketing and educational tool to demonstrate to fleet managers that E85 is seamless to traditional fuels.”                     

The exhibitor trade show began the following day.  The NEVC hosted an exhibitor booth with GM.  An E85 compatible Tahoe and Avalanche were displayed (shown left with NEVC Director of Communications, Michelle Kautz).   

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, also attended the Commodity Classic and Vice-Chairman Robert White discussed the importance of E85 and the passage of a comprehensive energy bill (shown right.  Accompanying White and Johanns in the photo is National Corn Growers Association President, Leon Corzine). 

Additional photos of the Commodity Classic can be found by clicking here.

The University of Michigan has been a member of the Ann Arbor Area Clean Cities Coalition since its designation by the U.S. Department of Energy five years ago.  To say that the U of M supports alternative fuels would be an understatement.  By most accounts, the U of M has the largest alternative fuel vehicle fleet of any organization in the state of Michigan: with 465 vehicles operating exclusively on E85 (ethanol), 109 vehicles running on B20 (biodiesel), and a few electric vehicles to boot!  U of M has taken a comprehensive approach to petroleum reduction by sponsoring vanpooling for its faculty and staff since the 1970’s and by providing free bus service.  In August 2004, U of M initiated the joint M-Ride program with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (another Ann Arbor clean Cities Coalition member).  M-Ride allows U of M students and staff to ride fixed route AATA buses without paying a fare.

A new E85 location has recently opened in at 701 4th Avenue West in Spencer, Iowa. The Cenex opened on February 24 and in a very short period has sold over 500 gallons of the renewable, alternative fuel.

“With the continual increase in awareness and demand for E85, the new Spencer station is off to a great start! I can’t wait for stations to start popping up all over the state,” said Christi Vander Voort, Iowa E85 Coordinator.

The facility in Spencer was has a 6,000 gallon tank and is open 24 hours a day.

Join alternative fuel and alternative fuel vehicle experts for the 11^th Annual Clean Cities Conference and Exposition in Palm Springs, California from May 1-4.  The “Guiding Transitions” theme intends to lead attendees into the future to a cleaner, energy independent world.

The Department of Energy's Clean Cities program is a national leader in identifying viable petroleum displacement mechanisms and working with partners to facilitate their market acceptance. The program focuses on idle reduction, hybrids, blends, and fuel economy.

This conference plans to discuss issues relating to the latest regulations, court challenges, and product availability and trends.  Attendees will also be able to meet the people who are making it happen. Other events include tours, presentations, a Ride-n-Drive, a vehicle auction, and memorable social events. 

The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition is a Gold Sponsor for this event.  Along with hosting a Clean Cities Coordinator luncheon, Phil Lampert, Executive Director of the NEVC, and NEVC member Rick Eggebrecht of VeraSun, will also be addressing attendees at the session Biofuels:  Now You Know About It, How Do You Do It? on May 4. Staff of the coalition will also be available to answer questions at their exhibitor’s booth.

For more information about the Clean Cities Conference or to register, visit http://www.afvi.org/palmsprings/.

 Letters to the NEVC

Letters to the NEVC - This section highlights emails that the NEVC has recently received.  Many of the comments or suggestions that we receive are of interest to a wider audience and we would like to share them with our readers.

Corrections to NEVC correspondence:

Hi Michelle: Thanks for issuing the press release on the DOE SEP/Special Projects solicitation. It's worth mentioning in your next media release, that the official applicants for these funds are State Energy Offices. While they do have until that first week in May to electronically submit proposals, local proposers (e.g., Clean Cities) will have an earlier deadline that varies from state to state. The Michigan deadline, for example, is April 13. So, interested persons should be advised to check with their State Energy Office for additional application instructions and proposal due dates. Thanks again for letting your contacts know about this opportunity.

Jan Patrick

Hi Phil---

Thanks for helping spread the news about the new toolkit (referenced at http://www.e85fuel.com/news/030905_e85_toolkit.htm). Unfortunately, credit should have gone to the EPAct Fleet Programs at DOE, not Clean Cities. I know the details of the DOE org chart aren't often clear to the outside world, but proper credit is always important to the sponsor, as I'm sure you know. The Alternative Fuels Data Center is supported by both Clean Cities and the EPAct Fleet Programs. But the E85 Toolkit specifically was funded by the State and Fuel Provider task within the EPAct Fleet Program.

Thanks.
Ann Brennan, Manager
Alternative Fuels Data Center
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Finding an FFV

Hi,
I want to find an e85 van for my company. Please let me know where to look.
Joe Neu

. . .

Joe,

Thank you for your interest in E85 and flexible-fuel vehicles. You should go to your local used DaimlerChrysler dealer to purchase an E85 van. The models compatible are:

2003 3.3L Dodge Cargo Minivan
1998-2003 3.3L Dodge Minivan
1998-2003 3.3L Plymouth Minivan
1998-2003 3.3L Chrysler Minivan

-Michelle Kautz

Thanks for the emails to the NEVC!  Feel free to email us with your comments at anytime.

NEVC Calendar

April 4-8, 2005
Drive Clean and Green Across Missouri.  For more information, visit http://www.dnr.mo.gov/driveclean.htm.

May 1-5, 2005

11th Annual Clean Cities Conference to be held in Palm Springs, California.  For more information, email sara_huntley@nrel.gov.

June 7-9, 2005
FedFleet 2005: Keeping in Tune in Nashville, TN.  For more information, visit www.fedfleet.org. 

June 12-14, 2005
Ethanol Producers and Consumers (EPAC) conference in Cody, Wyoming.  For more information, contact Shirley Ball at shirley@ethanolmt.org. 

CONTACT US. . .

Please feel free to e-mail your story suggestions, comments, corrections or clarifications to us at info@e85fuel.com or call us toll free at 877-485-8595.

Phillip J. Lampert, Executive Director
info@e85.com

Shelia Helzer, Director of Administration
shelzer@e85fuel.com

Kathy Frese, CPA, Director of Finance
kfrese@E85Fuel.com

Michelle Kautz, Director of Communications
mkautz@E85Fuel.com

Roger Listenberger, Director E85 Fuel Networking
Phone:  (217) 877-5267
rlistenberger@E85Fuel.com

Louise Saucier, Membership Coordinator
lsaucier@E85Fuel.com

Christi Vander Voort, NEVC Iowa E85 Coordinator
Phone:  (712) 737-6415
cvandervoort@E85Fuel.com

You may view this FYI online at
http://www.e85fuel.com/news/index.htm

NEVC  promotes the use of 85 percent ethanol as a renewable form of alternative transportation fuel while enhancing agricultural profitability, advancing environmental stewardship and promoting national energy independence.