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In
This Issue: |
FYI Newsletter Volume 8, Issue 15, September 10, 2003
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North Dakota Governor John Hoeven to Highlight Grand
Opening of Fargo E85 Station
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Virginia Corn Growers Join NEVC
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Illinois and General Motors Announce statewide E85
Program
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United States Department of Agriculture Sports New E85
Bumper Sticker |
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A Timeless Partnership: MCGA, MCMC and MO FFA
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NEVC
Introduces New Staff Members
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NEVC
Iowa E85 Coordinator Featured on Iowa Radio
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Letters to the NEVC |
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North
Dakota Governor John Hoeven to Highlight Grand Opening of
Fargo E85 Station |
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 The
Honorable John Hoeven, Governor of the state of North
Dakota and the current Chairman of the Governors' Ethanol
Coalition, will be attending the Grand Opening of the new
E85 fueling facility being dedicated on September 13, 2003
in Fargo, North Dakota. Governor Hoeven, a long time
supporter of the use of domestic-renewable fuels, will be
among the many participants at the Grand Opening of the
Cenex P etro
Service new E85 pump located at 3902 Main Street in Fargo,
North Dakota. Others involved with the Grand Opening
include the North Dakota Corn Growers Association and
North Dakota Corn Utilization Council, the American Lung
Association of both North Dakota and Minnesota, Farmers
Union Oil Company and National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition,
among others.
In addition to the dedication of the new E85 fueling
location, Tom Andrews, a 48-year-old amateur ultra
marathon
runner, will begin his 500-mile journey across Minnesota
to heighten the awareness of the clean burning alternative
fuel, E85. The E85 Run for Clean Air
will begin in Fargo, North Dakota with the Cenex Grand
Opening Event on September 13 and end on the steps of
Minnesota’s state capitol in St. Paul on September 27.
Andrews will stop at fifteen locations at E85 promotional
events. Following is his schedule:
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Tom and these promotions are sponsored, in part, by the
Minnesota E85 Team, Minnesota Corn Growers Association,
National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, Renville, Stearns,
Sibley, and Nicollet County Corngrowers, North Dakota Corn
Utilization Council, Minnesota Coalition for Ethanol,
General Motors, U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities,
American Lung Association of Minnesota, and E85 Station
Operators across Minnesota
You can track Tom’s progress by visiting
www.CleanAirChoice.org. To see if your vehicle can
fuel with E85, go to
http://www.e85fuel.com/. |
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Virginia
Corn Growers Join NEVC |
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The Virginia Corn Growers
Association has become the most recent corn commodity
organization to join the NEVC. “We are very pleased to be
in a position to be able to support the National Ethanol
Vehicle Coalition,” stated Ellen Davis, Executive Director
of the Virginia Corn Growers Association.
According to Davis, “Virginia farmers plant an average of
470,000 acres of corn annually, which is a large amount in
a state as urbanized as we are. In the past two years,
the grower leaders of our organization have directed the
organization to focus more intensely on ethanol issues.
E85 is a major new component of that effort and we are
very pleased to be able to partner with the NEVC.
Currently we are working on placing new E85 stations in
the Norfork-Hampton Roads area to serve the military and
expect to have several new public stations opened within
the next several months. Our members are excited about
the potential that E85 can have on the east coast.”
Virginia Corn Growers Association joins eight other state
corn associations as members of the NEVC. For more
information about your organization joining the NEVC,
contact the NEVC office. |
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Following is a copy of a press release issued by the
Illinois Corn Growers Association regarding the E85
efforts recently initiated with a kick-off event at the
Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois. This
article was inadvertently omitted from the August 29, 2003
“E85 FYI”. We apologize to the Illinois Corn Growers
Association and General Motors for this oversight.
GM
PROGRAM TO BOOST E85 SALES
Springfield, Illinois - General Motors Corporation, along
with the State of Illinois and the Illinois Corn Growers
Association, announced plans this week to promote greater
use of corn based E-85 as an alternative to gasoline in
Illinois. The announcement was made at the Illinois State
Fair in Springfield.
E85 sales have increased 10-fold in the last five years,
to about 10 million gallons a year, but the GM program
should take market expansion up a notch in Illinois,
Wisconsin, Colorado, Minnesota and Michigan.
“There are a lot of people who own E85 flexible fuel
vehicles and they aren’t aware of what they have, where to
get the fuel, or the advantages of using ethanol. This
program by GM addresses all of these issues and will raise
E85 awareness to a much higher level. GM is to be
commended for their efforts,” said Steve Pigg, president
of the Illinois Corn Growers Association.
Awareness of E85 should grow considerably under the two
year program that will send boxed kits to drivers of E85
flexible fuels vehicles sold in 2002-2003. Drivers in
close proximity to E85 refueling stations, primarily in
the Chicago-land vicinity, will receive E85 informational
literature, a list of E85 refueling stations, a window
sticker, and a T-shirt.
The cornerstone of the program is a $40 debit card that
recipients can use to buy E85.
“By eliminating the state sales tax on E85 we expect the
market for this clean, domestically-produced renewable
fuel to grow in Illinois. We expect E85 prices to be
reduced by about 10 cents a gallon and should assist in
ongoing efforts to keep our energy production local,” said
Hans Detweiller, Deputy Director, Illinois Bureau of
Energy and Recylcling.
The tax exemption was made possible by Senate Bill 46 that
was recently signed by Governor Rod Blagojevich. Pigg
commended Governor Blagojevich, the Bureau of Energy, and
the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity for being “champions of ethanol and farmers.
“We will use nearly 300 million bushels of Illinois corn
to make ethanol this year. That’s one in every six rows
of our corn. I call that real economic development.
Growing demand for ethanol is spurring the construction of
producer-owned ethanol cooperatives in rural areas. For
some of these locations these ethanol projects are the
largest economic development project in 25 years,” Pigg
said.
Today, ethanol made from corn reduces the demand for
imported oil by 98,000 barrels per days - representing a
$1.1 billion annual reduction in the U.S. trade deficit as
well as cutting automotive air pollution.
GM
produces more than a third of the three million E85
vehicles on American roads. All 2002 and newer Chevrolet
and GMC full-size Sport Utility vehicles equipped with
Vortec 5300 engines are E85 capable, including Chevy Tahoe
and Suburban; and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL.
Specifically equipped Chevy Silverado pick-ups are also
available in flex-fuel E85.
“E85 is only beginning to become more widely available,
and we’re pleased to be able to provide consumers with an
incentive to try this alternative fuel to see the benefits
for themselves,” said Gary Herwick, director of
transportation and alternative fuels policy. “We want to
educate and encourage industry and consumers to use E85 in
their GM flexible fuel vehicles whenever possible.” |
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United States Department of Agriculture Sports New E85
Bumper Stickers |
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 E85
Powered Vehicle bumper stickers will soon be seen on USDA
flexible-fuel-vehicles throughout the country. The
sticker was created and funded by the NEVC.
With about 1,949 (as of September 2002) USDA FFVs on the
road today, the sticker will be a small reminder for
fleets to fuel with the domestically grown, renewable
product. In some cases, stickers will be placed
inside the vehicles to remind drivers that they are
operating an FFV.
The USDA, along with other Federal departments, is
currently under a mandate to reduce their petroleum use by
20% by the year 2005.
“This campaign will be something the USDA can do to help
the American farmer and reduce our foreign oil imports,”
said James Michael, Program Analyst for the USDA. “I will
begin distributing the stickers at the end of September
when I will visit Minneapolis. Currently the city has
about 45 to 50 USDA E85 compatible vehicles but many fleet
drivers are unaware that their vehicle can be powered by
the fuel.”
“It has been a pleasure to work with the USDA on this
project and to see them so enthused about E85,” stated
Phil Lampert, Executive Director for the NEVC. “All of us
look forward to working with other governmental agencies
more closely in the future to encourage them to use E85.” |
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NEVC Introduces New Staff Members |
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The NEVC is pleased to introduce Louise Saucier, NEVC
Membership Coordinator and Christi Vander Voort, NEVC Iowa
E85 Coordinator. Both have joined NEVC staff in the
effort to promote E85 as an alternative transportation
fuel.
Louise Saucier is a resident of Mary’s Home, Missouri.
She and her husband own a farm in the small rural
community in central Missouri. Louise co-founded the
non-profit organization, the Heartland Renewable Energy
Society, and also volunteers for the Miller County Soil
and Water Conservation District.
Louise will be working on various duties for the NEVC but
most importantly, managing the tasks associated with NEVC
membership.
Christi Vander Voort was born and raised in Pella, Iowa.
She now resides in Orange City where she coordinates E85
promotions and assists in Iowa infrastructure. She has
worked for ad agencies in California and Texas, as an
account supervisor for a printing company and as a
homemaker for eleven years to her four children.
You can contact Louise at
lsaucier@E85Fuel.com and Christi at
cvandervoort@E85Fuel.com. Welcome! We’re happy to
have you both on our staff! |
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A Timeless Partnership: MCGA, MCMC and MO FFA |
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- from September 9, 2003 release by the Missouri Corn
Growers Association
 Columbia,
Missouri - On September 9, the Missouri Corn Growers
Association (MCGA) and Missouri Corn Merchandising Council
(MCMC) renewed their ethanol partnership with the Missouri
FFA Association. MCGA and MCMC once again provided
funding for the Missouri FFA Association to lease a
Chrysler Town & Country minivan, which will run on E85, a
blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. MCGA
and MCMC provided funding for the first two "Missouri FFA
Minivans" in 1999 and 2001.
Brent Rockhold, MCGA President and farmer from Arbela, MO,
presented the minivan keys to the state FFA president,
Gina Eckler, during a time capsule ceremony at Sanborn
Field on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. The
minivan's first mission: deliver FFA chapter memorabilia
to the new 25-year time capsule. The state FFA officers
and staff will use the minivan for the next three years to
travel to local, state and national events, helping
develop new agricultural leaders while spreading the word
about ethanol, a clean, renewable fuel made from corn.
The Missouri FFA is excited about the renewed partnership,
said Gina Eckler, 2003 president of the student youth
organization. "We look forward to promoting not only
ethanol, but also the positive relationship we have with
Missouri Corn programs," she said.
According to Rockhold, there is a shared history.
"Twenty-five years ago, the Missouri FFA time capsule was
buried, the Missouri Corn Growers Association was formed,
and fuel ethanol was produced for the first time on a
large-scale, commercial basis. Let's think together about
the future: in twenty-five more years, FFA will be one
hundred years old, the Missouri Corn Growers will turn
fifty, and all of America's cars and homes will be powered
by ethanol. that is ethanol fuel cells. I look forward to
that day!"
For more information on ethanol, visit Missouri Corn
Online at
http://www.mocorn.org/. |
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NEVC Iowa E85 Coordinator Featured on Iowa Radio |
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Christi Vander Voort, NEVC Iowa E85 Coordinator, has
recently been interviewed on WHO Radio in Iowa during
their farm program. Her interview follows:
ANNOUNCER:
The
number of E85 fueling stations has doubled in Iowa during
the past two months.
E85 is an alternative fuel that is 85% ethanol and 15%
gasoline. While the fuel has been around for a few years,
only recently has its appeal grown to the public, says
Christi Vander Voort, the E85 marketer in Iowa.
VANDER VOORT:
E85 in Iowa is in its infancy. We have a new plant in
Sioux Center, Iowa that is actually blending ethanol with
gasoline on site to make E85. If you’re familiar with
E85, it’s 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. There are many
ethanol plants across the state of Iowa and the country
but not everyone of them blends them into transportation
fuel.
ANNOUNCER:
Having a local blender is one reason the number of
stations carrying E85 in the state has grown. Siouxland
Energy hopes to have 40 stations carrying the fuel by the
end of the year. While many of these new stations are in
northwest Iowa, there are also E85 stations in Council
Bluffs, Burlington, Ames, and Lake Mills. Vander Voort,
who was driving her own E85 vehicle during our
conversation, says she doesn’t worry if she can’t get to
these stations to fuel up.
VANDER VOORT:
I do drive and FFV and that’s short for flexible fuel
vehicle. It is 2002 Chevy Suburban and it can burn E85
and as all flex fuel vehicles, you can burn any mix of
transportation fuel. Let’s say I’m traveling to Des
Moines for this meeting and I have to get gas and there is
no E85 at the station where I’m at. I can fuel with just
regular unleaded gasoline and it can mix with E85 and the
thing that distinguishes an FFV from just a regular
vehicle on the road is it has a special sensor that tells
your vehicle how to respond to the mix of fuel in your
tank.
ANNOUNCER:
But Vander Voort certainly prefers using E85 when she can,
the fuel has a 100 octane rating, is 20-30 cents a gallon
cheaper than petroleum fuel, and supports farmers and
domestic fuel production. You might be able to use E85,
too. Over 20 models of Chrysler, GM, Ford, Isuzu, Mazda,
Mercedes and Mercury vehicles are engineered to use this
fuel. You can tell by looking for stickers near the fuel
door, or by checking your owner’s manual.
To contact Christi, you may call the NEVC office or email
her at
cvandervoort@E85Fuel.com. |
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Letters
to the NEVC |
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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. |
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The
following emails were written to NEVC Director of
Communications, Michelle Saab. . .
FFVs
Hi Michelle,
I saw a report last night on TV about E85 fuel and FFVs.
I live in Charlotte, NC and was bummed that it might be
difficult to transport this fuel from the Midwest. I have
a 96 Quest Minivan and a 96 Ford Taurus station wagon.
Have vehicles over the last few years been deemed FFVs or
is it only recently? What do car manufacturers need to do
to the vehicles to make them FFVs?
If you could point me in the direction of more info on
this subject, I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Joe
. . .
Joe,
You can find a complete listing of vehicles on our website
at www.E85Fuel.com.
Unfortunately, your two vehicles are not designed to run
on the product, although a Taurus manufactured in 1998 or
newer will.
There is only one major additional part that is included
on an FFV - the fuel sensor that detects the
ethanol/gasoline ratio. A number of other parts on the
FFV's fuel delivery system are modified so that they are
ethanol compatible. The fuel tank, fuel lines, fuel
injectors, computer system, anti-siphon device and
dashboard gauges have been modified slightly. Alcohols are
corrosive. Therefore, any part that comes in contact with
the fuel has been upgraded to be tolerant to alcohol.
Normally, these parts include a stainless steel fuel tank
and Teflon-lined fuel hoses.
Thank you for your interest in E85 and FFVs. Please
contact me at anytime should you need anything further.
Thank you,
Michelle Saab
Where Can I Find?
Please tell me where I can purchase a Yukon XL GMC SUV
that has the E85 fuel option as well as fueling up on
Regular grade gasoline? This would be very important to
me whenever E 85 is not available since I'm on the road
every day in the upper Midwest.
Also, what is the price of E85 vs. other grades of fuel?
Is it higher priced to buy the vehicle as a E85 feature
fuel use? Where in the upper Midwest are the E85 pumps
where I travel every day in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota,
North Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Nebraska?
Thank you for your prompt response.
Al
Arndt
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Al,
You can purchase a Yukon XL that is E85 compatible at any
of your local GM dealers. All E85 compatible vehicles,
except the Chevrolet Silverado and GM Sierra come at no
incremental cost to the consumer. E85 is priced
differently in all areas across the U.S., just as is
gasoline. On an average, it runs comparative to regular
unleaded gasoline. You can find a complete listing of
these stations on our website at
www.E85Fuel.com.
Thank you,
Michelle Saab
Thanks for the emails to the NEVC! Feel free to
email us with your comments at anytime.
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September 13, 2003
Grand Opening of the new Fargo, ND E85 location at the Cenex
Petro Express at I-29 & Main Ave. The station
will celebrate the event with selling E85 at $0.85. For more
information, call the NEVC office.
September 13-27, 2003
E85 Run For Clean Air from Fargo, ND to St. Paul, MN. For
more information, visit http://www.cleanairchoice.org/.
September 21-23,2003
The US Refining and Automotive Industries 2003 and Beyond - Coming
Together of Energy, Environmental & Economic Issues in
Washington, DC at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. For
more information, visit
call
1-800-872-3835.
September 24, 2003
E85 for $0.85 promotion at the two Jefferson City, MO
Conoco E85 locations at
3714 W. Truman
Blvd. and 701 Eastland Drive. For more information,
contact the NEVC office.
October 8-11, 2003
National Conference of State Fleet Administrators 2003
Annual Conference and Trade Show in Keystone, CO. For
more information, call (623) 772-9096.
October 30, 2003
"Green
Your Fleet" sponsored by the Connecticut Clean Cities at
the Mohegan Sun Casino Conference Facility near Norwich,
CT. For more information, call Lee Grannis at (203)
627-3715.
March 2-4, 2004
Commodity Classic 2004 in Las Vegas, NV. For more
information, visit
www.commodityclassic.com.
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
Michelle Saab, Director of Communications
info@e85.com
Randa Barker, Director of Administration
info@e85.com
Louise
Saucier, Membership Coordinator
lsaucier@E85Fuel.com
Christi Vander
Voort, NEVC Iowa E85 Coordinator
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. |
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