National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition - FYI Newsletter, Volume 7, Issue 7, April 2, 2002
Torrington Travel Terminal First to Offer E85 Fuel in Wyoming
Ohio Governor Touts Ethanol Fuel Benefits, New Tax Breaks for Farmers
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Alternative Fuel Vehicles
- by Denise Heilbrun of Torrington Telegram
Torrington Travel Terminal is the first gas station in Wyoming that will handle E85 ethanol fuel (85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline).
“Ethanol has been a part of our truck stop since we opened,” said co-owner Ron Hill. “It’s an alternative fuel. Farmers in the surrounding areas are producing the corn, which in turn helps the community participate in the corn situation.
“Wyoming Ethanol, with their purchasing of the corn in the valley, has added probably 20 to 30 cents a bushel to help the income in this area. It has a substantial impact on Goshen County,” he added.
Alternative fuels are becoming more available to the entire nation, Hill said. Manufacturers are producing vehicles that will burn the E85 fuel.
According to Hill, the vehicle has to have a certain computer chip that allows that fuel to be burned, which he said only costs approximately $150 to $200 to put in.
“My view is anytime we can burn a renewable source that can put people to work in the U.S. rather than purchase foreign oil, is a big bonus to the nation,” Hill said. “Plus it is also environmentally friendly.”
Hill is concerned about the recent failure of House Bill 38, which was to extend tax credit to ethanol producers.
“It will be sad if we have to purchase our ethanol from a Nebraska supplier because our legislature will not work with Wyoming Ethanol,” he said.
The new system should be in operation soon.
“We are totally excited about it,” Hill said. “It will be a neat system. The price will be cheaper than regular unleaded. Just remember you have to be E85 compatible to run the fuel.”
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from The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
Ohio may be facing a budget deficit, but tax breaks encouraging farmers
and investors to make a gasoline additive from corn will help fuel the
economy, Governor Bob Taft said during a visit to Maumee yesterday.
One plant making 40 million gallons of the additive, called ethanol, would add
$79 million to $104 million a year to Ohio's economy, an Ohio State University
study estimates. Yet one plant would cause a loss of $2.6 million to $5.2
million to the state's general fund, according to an analysis of the bill Mr.
Taft signed into law yesterday. Northwest Ohio could easily become home to an
ethanol plant, and hopefully more than one will be built in the state, Mr.
Taft said after driving a GMC Yukon XL that was 85 percent powered by ethanol.
"We need to invest, prime the pump," he said. "This will help our budget
revenues come in."
About 75 people gathered at The Anderson's, Inc.'s conference center to watch
the governor sign the ethanol tax-break bill into law and celebrate Ohio
Agriculture Day.
An estimated 200 million gallons of ethanol-blended fuels are used annually in
Ohio, the largest corn-producing state without an ethanol plant.
Ohioans will be eligible for $5,000 in state tax credits over three years for
every $ 10,000 invested in farmer-controlled ethanol plants.
Plus, plants financed with Ohio Air Quality Development Authority bonds will
be exempt from state and local taxes on equipment and buildings.
The measure will provide more profit opportunities to farmers, jobs for
Ohioans, and cleaner-burning fuels for consumers, as well as a way to be less
reliable on foreign oil and ethanol made in other states, officials said.
"This bill enables us to build some building blocks and a foundation for an
ethanol industry here in Ohio," said Mike Wagner, executive director of the
Ohio Corn Growers Association. "It's going to be economic development for
rural America, rural Ohio."
While teaching 25 years ago, Ohio Senator Larry Mumper told students renewable
fuels will be made from corn and soybeans, he said.
"In my heart, I never really believed," the bill sponsor and farmer said.
"Well, folks, today I believe it."
Missouri Governor Bob Holden recently appointed Anita Randolph to the Board of Directors of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. Governor Holden is serving as the Chairman of the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition during 2002 and Ms. Randolph also serves as Governor Holden’s representative to the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition.
Hal Smedley, Chairman of the NEVC stated, “We are very pleased to have had Governor Holden appoint Anita to the Board of Directors of the NEVC. Anita has represented both Governor Holden and former Governor Carnahan on the GEC for several years and has proven to be extremely interested and well versed in issues regarding ethanol. Anita’s many years leading the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Energy Division, now Energy Center, will serve her well as the NEVC continues to advocate and promote the use of E85 as a form of alternative transportation fuel.”
The NEVC Board of Directors is made up of eleven individuals from the wide range of members currently in the organization. Pursuant to the By-Laws of the NEVC, the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition has one member appointed to the NEVC Board by the Chairman of the GEC.
Smedley concluded that, “Missouri has made significant strides over the past four years to advance the use and production of ethanol. Two new plants have recently opened, the Missouri Corn Growers continue to provide exemplary leadership and Governor Holden serves as the Chairman of the GEC. The recent appointment of Anita Randolph to the NEVC only adds to the excellent momentum already established in the state.”
In early March of 2002, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a report to Congress which completed a federally mandated study evaluating the success of the policy decision to offer CAFE credit incentives for the production and sale of duel-fuel vehicles. A copy of the study, “Report to Congress: Effects of the Alternative Motor Fuels Act CAFE Incentives Policy” may be found at the NEVC web site at http://www.e85fuel.com/news/legislation.htm.
Among the many conclusions included in the report was that:
· The CAFE Credit Program has been successful in stimulating a significant increase in the availability of alternative fuel vehicles.
· CAFE credits have been instrumental to the automakers in development of the vehicles.
· While duel-fuel vehicles have been produced in large quantities, the fueling infrastructure has failed to keep up with the increase in the numbers of vehicles.
In 1988, Congress of the United States approved and sent to the President Public Law 100-94, the Alternative Motor Fuels Act (AMFA) of 1988. This act provides incentives to automakers for the manufacture of vehicles that can use alternative fuels, either exclusively or as a part of an integrated fueling system. Many members of the environmental community have unfairly criticized the automakers for taking advantage of these incentives. The argument is that automakers are able to build alternative fuel vehicles, take a CAFE credit from such production, and not be held responsible for making certain the alternative fuel is actually being used. This argument opposing the use of CAFE credits and the extension of such credits is clearly disingenuous and as we say in Missouri, “that dog just don’t hunt!”
The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition has long opposed the critics of CAFE credits and pointed out that the automakers have responsibly responded to incentives that were approved by the 100th Congress of the United States. The law encouraged the production of alternative fuel vehicles and has clearly been extremely successful in meeting that objective. Clearly, the 1988 incentive provisions of AMFA did not address the issue of building infrastructure to fuel these new alternative fuel vehicles, however, that is not to say that AMFA has been a failure. On the contrary, there has been a general admission that infrastructure has not keep pace with the production of the vehicles and the NEVC is an example of one organization that is attempting to overcome that problem.
More importantly, as the second session of the 107th Congress reconvenes in Washington, D.C. on April 9, the first order of business will be to take up the pending Energy Bill. The Senate Energy Legislation, S571 includes provisions that will advance the establishment of new infrastructure, further the price competitiveness of all alternative fuels, and define federal leadership in the use of AFVs. The NEVC supports the alternative fuel provisions of the Senate Energy Bill and we encourage prudent and timely action on such measures.
Today, April 2, 2002, at 11:00 a.m., a Grand Opening Celebration is scheduled or the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s expanded fuel facility at 2600 Bull Street in Columbia, South Carolina.
This facility is in accordance of Governor Jim Hodges’ signing of Executive Order No. 2001-35 on October 18, 2001 which states, “Now Therefore, I do Hereby: 1. Strongly support the efforts of South Carolina’s Clean Cities Coalitions and private business to increase the use of alternative fuels in South Carolina. 2. Whenever practical and economically feasible, require all State agencies operating alternative fuel vehicles to use alternative fuels.”
This facility is the first state agency to offer E85 in Columbia to city county, federal and state governments.
The NEVC has been very busy creating some new promotional items. Photos of the new items: hang tags, magnets, bumper stickers, T-shirts, hats, and buttons can be found at http://www.e85fuel.com/nevc/promoitems.htm.
April 2, 2002
Grand Opening at Department of Health and Environmental Control’s expanded fuel facility at 2600 Bull Street in Columbia, South Carolina. For more information, contact houghmh@dhec.state.sc.us.
April 8, 2002
Grand Opening at Texaco, 1350 East 700 South in Clearfield, Utah. For more information, contact Michelle Saab at info@e85.com.
April 9, 2002
FREE Alternative Fuels Workshops at 9 a.m. at Salt Lake City State Library and 12 p.m. at National Guard Armory. For more information or to obtain a registration form, contact Michelle Saab at info@e85.com.
April 11, 2002
Media Event at Christensen Oil at 595 South 200 East in Provo, Utah. For more information, contact Michelle Saab at info@e85.com.
April 11, 2002
Sixty-seven organizations at forty-nine separate sites nationwide are holding National AFV Odyssey Day activities to spread the exciting news that alternative fuel vehicles offer a powerful choice for transportation for all American motorists. For more information go to www.NationalAFVDayOdyssey.org.
April 24, 2002
Grand Opening of E85 pump at Acorn Petroleum at 305 South 8th Street in Colorado Springs, Colorado. For more information, contact Michelle Saab at info@e85.com.
May 12-15, 2002
8th National Clean Cities Conference and Expo at the Myriad Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. For more information, visit http://www.ccities.doe.gov/okconference.shtml.
June 4-5, 2002
First Annual Pacific Ethanol Conference & Expo: Developing Renewable Energy Through Ethanol at the Hilton Brisbane in Brisbane, Australia. For more information, visit http://www.pacificethanol.com
June 9-11
12th Annual EPAC sponsored Ethanol Conference in Whitefish, MT. A Golf Tournament will take place June 9 and the conference will be held June 10-11. Visit www.ethanolmt.org for more information.
June 25-28, 2002
18th Annual International Fuel Ethanol Workshop and Trade Show at the Crowne Plaza Springfield in Springfield, Illinois. For more information and to register, go to http://www.bbiethanol.com/few.
July 23-25
FedFleet 2002 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri. For more information, visit http://www.fedfleet.org.
Please feel free to e-mail your story suggestions to us at info@e85fuel.com or call us anytime.
Phillip J. Lampert, Executive Director - info@e85.com
Michelle Saab, Director of Communications - info@e85.com
Randa Barker, Director of Administration - info@e85.com