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Boise, ID
— Governor Dirk Kempthorne and Stinker Stations
announced the opening today of Idaho’s first E85 fueling
station in Boise. The announcement was made with the
National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) and General
Motors Corporation at the Stinker Station, 2323 West Main
Street, in Boise. Stinker also announced plans to expand
its number of E85 stations
as demand grows throughout Idaho.
As part
of the grand opening, drivers of flexible fuel vehicles
(FFVs) capable of running on E85 were encouraged to fill
their tanks for 85 cents a gallon.
“Everyone needs to do their part to reduce America’s
dependence on imported oil and energy,” said Idaho
Governor Dirk Kempthorne. “One of the best ways is to use
alternative fuels. I’m pleased to announce that I will be
driving a state-owned Chevrolet Suburban that utilizes E85
fuel. I also want to congratulate Stinker Stations and
General Motors for making this technology available to
more Idahoans.”
“Stinker has blended its gasoline with 10 percent ethanol
for over 20 years,” said Charley Jones, president, Stinker
Stations. “Stinker blends with ethanol because it burns
cleaner and improves vehicle performance with higher
octane and reduces tailpipe emissions. Ethanol also
provides the additional benefits of supporting agriculture
and reducing dependence on overseas oil imports. Stinker
is proud to offer E85 fuel to our customers in Idaho.”
Idaho produces 1.8 million gallons of ethanol annually by
one ethanol plant that
uses potatoes as a feedstock. Idaho is the largest
potato-producing state in the U.S. and produced 13.8
billion pounds in 2003. Four additional ethanol plants in
Idaho are in various stages of development.
"E85 is
a home-grown, clean‑burning, alternative transportation
fuel,” said Phil Lampert, executive director for the NEVC.
“Today, ethanol made from potatoes, corn, wheat, sorghum
and other crops, reduces petroleum fuel use by 98,000
barrels per day, provides thousands of jobs, and has
become a $10 billion per-year industry.”
In
the future, when it is made from biomass such as corn and
wheat stalks and forestry waste, ethanol has the potential
to virtually eliminate automotive greenhouse gas
emissions.
GM
and the nonprofit NEVC are leading a public awareness
effort – part of a two-year partnership between the two
organizations – that focuses on increasing E85 use in GM
FFVs, which may use either E85 or gasoline or any
combination of the two.
"General Motors is proud to celebrate the opening of
Idaho’s first E85 fueling station, and we encourage
consumers to try this alternative fuel and to take
advantage of the benefits," said Gary Herwick, director of
alternative fuels for General Motors. "We support the use
of E85 because it’s a renewable, alternative fuel that
relies on domestic production.”
GM
produces more than a third of the approximately 4 million
E85 flexible fuel vehicles on American roads. All 2002 and
newer Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL full-size SUVs
equipped with the Vortec 5300 engine are E85-capable. E85
capability also is available as an option on the Chevrolet
Tahoe and GMC Yukon full-size SUVs, and the Chevrolet
Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickup trucks. New
E85-capable GM vehicles for the 2005 model year include
the Chevrolet Avalanche and Police Tahoe.
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