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In This Issue:
FYI Newsletter Volume 13, Issue 12, August 20, 2007
•Personalize the New 2008 Purchasing Guide
• Jay Leno Promotes E85
• Nebraska Ethanol Production Hits
One Billion Gallons Per Year
• U.S. DOE Providing $15.3 Million
for Improving FFVs
• MN E85 Dispenser to Be Tested by UL
• Thousands of FFVs, No Ethanol
• Ford Gives Ethanol Demonstration
Vehicles to KCP&L and Gov. Matt Blunt
• Chrysler Chemist Touts Alternative Energy,
Criticizes Opponents
• Response to “The Ethanol Scam”
Rolling Stone Article
• Don’t Blame Us
• Alabama I-65 Corridor Workshops
• Cellulosic Ethanol Summit
• New NEVC Members
• NEVC Member Spotlight –
Gulf Oil Limited Partnership
• New E85 Stations
• Letters to the NEVC
Personalize the New 2008 Purchasing Guide
The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition is pleased to announce that our 2008 FFV Purchasing Guide will be available soon! This document will showcase the new FFV offerings for model year 2008 and previous model year vehicles. As a new service, the NEVC is now offering to personalize the guide specifically for your organization.
The back cover of the full color document will be available to place your company name, address, graphics or other information of your choosing. What a great way to have the document available with your company logo and contact information for conferences or mailings!
The 2008 FFV Purchasing Guide will be printed soon, so get in touch with the NEVC NOW to discuss this opportunity. Contact Michelle Kautz at mkautz@e85fuel.com or 1-877-485-8595 for more information. To pre-order your guides, email lparker@e85fuel.com.
Jay Leno Promotes E85
What could be better publicity than having Jay Leno positively promote renewable fuels and E85 on The Tonight Show? How about being the center of attention in his very own garage and broadcast through his personal website, http://www.jaylenosgarage.com.
That is where you will find Jay Leno interviewing Engineer Gale Banks, who refers to E85 as "the biggest performance fuel bargain ever on the planet." Banks noted his excitement about building new superchargers and has embarked on a hot pursuit to tie E85 in with his program. Banks, as he put it, "is pumped."
To view this video, click on the link: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/index.shtml?vidID=137216 and go to "E85 Demystified" in the lower left corner. It begins with a short commercial, presented by General Motors Corporation, a member of the NEVC.
Nebraska Ethanol Production Hits One Billion Gallons Per Year
-Source: NE Ethanol Board, Press Release August 15, 2007
The recent opening of the U.S. BioEnergy ethanol plant in Ord signals continued economic growth for Nebraska as statewide ethanol production capacity surpasses one billion gallons per year.
“Ethanol is the smart choice for Nebraska drivers and Nebraska’s economy,” said Todd Sneller, administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board. “With 16 ethanol plants producing a billion gallons a year, Nebraska is taking its place as a leader in energy independence and a leader in economic growth which benefits the whole state.”
As more plants commence production, Nebraskans have access to a greater supply of ethanol. With an expanded supply, ethanol prices drop and the renewable energy source becomes even more affordable as an alternative to gasoline. New plants create more jobs for related industries like construction, transportation, manufacturing and engineering companies. Each new plant creates 40 to 50 permanent positions, with an average annual salary rate exceeding $50,000.
The US BioEnergy ethanol plant in Ord will have an annual production capacity of 45 million gallons of ethanol.
“The ethanol industry has created hundreds of permanent, high-paying jobs in Nebraska while helping farmers earn more and making our state more energy independent,” Sneller said. “ Nebraska is in a position where the state could meet 100 percent of its transportation fuel needs with ethanol production.”
NEVC Note: In 1971, the Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Gasohol Committee—now the Nebraska Ethanol Board—the first state agency in the U.S. devoted solely to the development of the ethanol industry. In 1990, the Legislature created an incentive fund designed to attract increased ethanol production in the state. This fund, the result of a checkoff on Nebraska corn, sorghum, and wheat, was administered by the Ethanol Authority & Development Board (EADB). The incentive did its job, attracting significant ethanol development across the state. The EADB was administered by Nebraska Gasohol Committee staff.
In 1992, the Ethanol Authority & Development Board was merged with the original Nebraska Gasohol Committee to create the Nebraska Ethanol Board. Today, the Nebraska Ethanol Board continues its mission of creating a positive environment for ethanol production and use in Nebraska—and serving as a primary resource for ethanol producers, developers, media and policy makers.
The NE Ethanol Board is a member of the NEVC and Todd Sneller is a past Chairman.
U.S. DOE Providing $15.3 Million for Improving FFVs
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced recently that it will provide up to $21.5 million for 11 cost-shared research and development vehicle fuel-efficiency projects; $15.3 million will focus on seven projects to improve E85-compatible engines. Funding is expected to begin in the 2007 fiscal year and continue through fiscal year 2010.
The E85 related projects include the following:
• Up to $2.2 million for Delphia Automotive Systems, in partnership with Wayne State University, to demonstrate a vehicle with up to 30 percent greater fuel efficiency than current flex-fuel vehicles.
• Up to $3.2 million for Ford to study the use of knock-suppression properties of ethanol with increased compression ratios, aimed at enabling the use of smaller, more fuel-efficient engines.
• Up to $1.9 million for General Motors, in partnership with Ricardo, to develop a cooled exhaust gas recirculation combustion prototype that would enable smaller engines without reduced power, resulting in a fuel economy increase of up to 15 percent.
• Up to $1.5 million for Robert Bosch, in partnership with Ricardo and the University of Michigan, to implement a system that would enable E85 to get “gasoline-like” fuel economy.
• Up to $3 million for Siemens Government Services, in partnership with AVL Engineering and Rousch Engineering, to study the possibility of using a turbocharged, direct-injection engine using E85 to improve combustion and fuel economy and reduce exhaust emissions.
• Up to $1.2 million for TIAX, in partnership with Monsanto and John Deere, to develop a high-efficiency flex-fuel engine that operates on any ethanol blend up to E85, but exceeds the efficiency of a conventional gasoline engine when operated with the highest blends of ethanol.
• Up to $2.3 million for Visteon, in partnership with DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, Mahle Powertrain and Michigan State University, for a project to get “gasoline-like” fuel economy from E85.
MN E85 Dispenser to Be Tested by UL
Underwriters Laboratory (UL) will be testing an E85 dispenser which has recently been pulled out of service in Eagan, Minn. Holiday Company is remodeling an outlet and the E85 pump has been the top-selling dispenser in the entire state.
“This dispenser has pumped E85 since early 2000,” stated the vice president of Clean Fuel and Vehicle Technologies of the American Lung Assn., of the Upper Midwest, Tim Gerlach. “Prior to dispensing E85, it held E10 and gasoline since the late 1980s. The dispenser has never had a problem; the equipment has pumped gasoline and the ethanol products flawlessly.”
UL does not currently have a product listing for E85 dispensing equipment, but has noted this will change by early 2008.
Gerlach noted, “I would like to thank the MN E85 team for their support of this station and dispenser, which include Holiday Company, the U.S. DOE, MN Corn Growers Assn., the American Lung Assn., the State of MN and the NEVC.”
Ford Gives Ethanol Demonstration Vehicles to KCP&L and Gov. Matt Blunt
- Source: The Kansas City Star, August 15, 2007
Ford Motor Co., a member of the NEVC, presented three E85-powered Ford Escape Hybrids to Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) and one to the state of Missouri in a ceremony Wednesday, August 15, 2007 at the Ford Claycomo Assembly plant.
The presentation was part of Ford’s plan to deliver a demonstration fleet of 20 E85 Escape Hybrids to select customers for use in six states.
Nancy Gioia, Ford’s director of sustainable mobility technology, presented the keys to Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt and Michael Chesser, chairman and chief executive of Great Plains Energy Inc. , KCP&L’s parent company.
The E85 Escape Hybrid runs like the standard gas-electric hybrid, except it can use gasoline that is 85 percent ethanol as well as conventional fuel.
While vehicles that run on ethanol do not produce as good of gas mileage as vehicles using regular gasoline, ethanol-fueled vehicles produce about 25 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
Ford currently has no plans to sell E85 hybrid vehicles to the general public. Gioa said Ford will allow fleet customers to use them and get feedback as to their effectiveness.
“Right now, there are technological and structural issues that prevent wider use,” she said of E85 hybrids. “Assuming those things can be addressed, it’s possible that Ford could build them in the future for the general public.”
Chesser said KCP&L has 380 biodiesel vehicles, the most of any utility in the country, as well as 112 ethanol-powered vehicles. He said Ford’s ethanol-electric hybrid SUVs will diversify its fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles.
“We look forward to a partnership that will continue for a long time,” Chesser said.
Blunt also praised the Ford plant, which produces the gas-electric Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid, as well as the E85 F-150 pickup.
“Ford Motor Company is helping to pave our way to greater energy independence,” Blunt said.
Chrysler Chemist Touts Alternative Energy, Criticizes Opponents
-Source: Automotive News, August 10, 2007
A Chrysler LLC chemist came out swinging against Japanese automakers, "Big Oil," OPEC and environmental groups that want to block the widespread creation of alternative fuels.
These groups were among those that Loren Beard cited as the "five groups who want to stop alternative fuels and why we can't let them," in his comments to the Management Briefing Seminars.
Big Oil, he says, has an obvious conflict with a new market in alternative fuel. "It will cut into their market share," he says.
Less obvious are the Japanese automakers. While not identifying them by name as a group standing in the way of alternative fuels development, he was critical of the "silver bullet car companies" who have focused their technology exclusively on hybrid vehicles. Toyota and Honda are focused on hybrids.
"Alternative fuels are necessary to improving fuel economy," says Beard, senior manager of fuels programs for Chrysler. "Automotive technology alone will not get us there."
He was particularly critical of some environmental groups. While not identifying them by name, he says they employ scare tactics against alternative fuels as a means of raising donations to keep themselves in business.
One such group, he contends, claimed that 800 million people would starve as a result of food products converted to fuel. Beard said "we don't want to starve 800 million people, that is not Chrysler's goal in pursuing alternative fuels.”
Beard also disputed a claim that ethanol would cause more ozone-related illnesses in Los Angeles, Ca., than gasoline today. Another claim, he said, was that it requires hundreds of gallons of water to create a single gallon of ethanol.
These environmental groups, he says, "have no respect for real world economics. Among the pluses of increased renewable energy sources,” Beard says, “are job creation for America's farms and the construction of fuel processing plants.”
“The alternative to these fuels,” he says, “is that continued dependence on foreign oil will assure that more than $20 billion annually leaves the U.S. economy."
A representative from Chrysler sits on the NEVC board and the automaker is a member of the coalition.
Response to “The Ethanol Scam” Rolling Stone Article
Rolling Stone is an entertainment magazine which, throughout its four decade run, has consistently interjected political and social commentary of various kinds and, loyal to its hippie roots, has traditionally taken a center-left editorial perspective. The magazine recently published an article disputing the attributes of ethanol. The article, which can be found by clicking here, disputes the positive effects of homegrown ethanol, including its clean-burning nature and ability to assist the country with our reliance on foreign petroleum.
In a “letter to the editor”, President of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Bob Dineen provided an excellent response to the article which can be found here. The NEVC applauds the timely and accurate comments offered by Mr. Dinneen which clearly outlined the fallacious nature of the piece.
Don’t Blame Us
-Source: OH Corn Growers Assn.
Polls show American consumers want to see the development of alternative energy grow. Consumers also want to be able to make choices at the pump. Yet there are two distinct roadblocks in the way.
A study by the Consumer Federation of America highlights the roadblocks which currently exist in expanding E85 ethanol production and distribution. E85 ethanol is a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
The study says record prices at the pump are due to a shortage of refinery capacity, not the price of crude oil, and the industry is contesting the growing support for ethanol, because it poses a challenge to the oil industry’s marketing power.
“We support the development of new refining capacity,” said NEVC Board Secretary and OCGA Executive Director Dwayne Siekman. “To hear oil companies claim ethanol as the reason they’re not increasing capacity is simply disingenuous.”
The second roadblock designed to slow energy diversity with ethanol is the continued misinformation being supplied by those who have become accustomed to cheap corn and those who have a vested interested in the failure of ethanol.
“We had no idea corn producers controlled the entire world market,” said Delaware County Corn Grower John Davis. “Today’s local cash price is $2.96 for a bushel of corn, not $4.00 like what’s been reported. Corn is not being diverted from food to fuel.”
Livestock uses field corn for animal feed—field corn is the same type of corn used to produce ethanol. Yet a co-product of ethanol is an animal feed called dried distillers grains, which can displace corn as a feedstock.
Food companies have jumped into blaming ethanol for their price hikes, but here’s the real truth:
Corn flakes: Only $.03 worth of corn goes into a box of this cereal. The cereal costs anywhere from $3.00 to $4.00 a box in grocery stores. The majority of your money goes toward labor and marketing costs. Don’t forget transportation costs to deliver the cereal to stores. Gasoline is high.
Starbucks coffee: Starbucks, which charges an exorbitant amount for a regular cup of coffee, claims it must charge more for drinks because dairy prices have gone up due to ethanol. This is not so: dairy prices are up because of increased demand for whey protein in China and because of an increased demand for milk in the United States after dairy farmers sold off heifers following a time when there was an oversupply of milk.
Meat products: Some of the richest companies in the world sell you Tyson chicken or Smithfield Foods’ pork. These companies watch their profits soar, yet complain about how feed prices have nominally increased. The Tyson Company has even benefited from biofuels by selling chicken grease for fuel.
Popcorn: This type of corn is not used for ethanol production. Its market price has been affected by dry weather, nothing more, nothing less. Yet movie theaters are eager to charge patrons another $.75 for a box of popcorn which may have only cost them $.04 cents more during a drought.
Corn tortillas: We’ve all heard the problem of a shortage of corn tortillas in Mexico. It was a supply issue of Mexican white corn, not U.S. field corn. Mexican farmers have responded by producing more white corn. U.S. field corn is not used for corn tortillas. Here’s another attempt to discredit ethanol based on misleading information.
Alabama I-65 Corridor Workshops
On October 3, 2006 Alabama Governor Bob Riley announced a federal grant awarded by the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) to provide his state with $312,000 in funds to add six pumps for E85 and five pumps for B20 fuel along I-65.
The federal grant is part of a project which will place 31 E85 stations along I-65 in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana. When complete these pumps will provide a Clean Corridor from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.
The six areas in Alabama along I-65 targeted for E85 pumps are Huntsville/Decatur, Cullman, Birmingham, Montgomery, Evergreen/Greenville and Mobile. The same areas will be targeted for placement of B20 pumps except Mobile, where biodiesel is already available. These sites were chosen based on population, vehicle use, air quality and the number of motorists who travel through Alabama on the interstate.
The Energy, Weatherization and Technology Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) and the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition (ACFC) will host workshops (week of September 10th, 2007) and events to recruit retailers in the chosen areas that would like to add E85 or B20 (or both) pumps. The grant funds will cover up to 50 percent of the cost for a retailer to add the infrastructure needed to offer the alternative fuel. Grants will be awarded in amounts up to $50,000 per location. The NEVC will also be participating in these workshops.
Governor Riley has pledged that by the year 2010 the majority of state owned vehicles will be flex-fuel, meaning they can run on E85 or gasoline.
In June 2007 the State Motor Pool opened their E85 fueling station to service state vehicles. The City of Hoover Municipal Police Fleet has driven over 5.4 million miles using E85 ethanol. Over 80 percent of Hoover's vehicles now use alternative fuels - E85 or Biodiesel. There is growing interest across the state in alternative fuels to reduce our dependence on foreign fuel, to increase economic activity in Alabama and to reduce the hazards to our environment.
To register for the workshops, click here.
Cellulosic Ethanol Summit
Cellulosic ethanol industry development has been on the fast track since the awarding of $385 million in grants by the DOE in February 2007. The industry is commercializing and all the major players in the value chain are attempting to solidify plans and forge the long-term relationships needed to put steel in the ground. Building on the outstanding success of last year’s sell-out event, Infocast’s Cellulosic Ethanol Summit, to be held in Washington, D.C., October 15-17, 2007, will bring high-level governmental, agricultural, financial and commercial players together in one place to stimulate the cross-industry business relationships that will be critical to making this new industry a reality.
Agricultural, commercial, governmental and financial stakeholders will trade their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities involved in developing the entire cellulosic ethanol value chain, including feedstock supply, enzymatic and non-enzymatic biorefinery development, a standardized blend, financial requirements for raising capital and many other key issues. Anyone who wants to be a part of this critical new industry cannot afford to miss this exciting event.
Organizations lending their support to the Summit include the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Energy, 25 x 25, the Clean Fuels Development Coalition, the National Association of Wheat Growers, the National Barley Growers Association, the National Corn Growers Association, the National Farmers Union, the National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance, the National Sorghum Producers, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, BIOTECanada, American Coalition for Ethanol, Nebraska Ethanol Board, the NEVC and the Renewable Fuels Association.
The Honorable Mike Johanns, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, will give the Luncheon Address discussing Agriculture’s role in building a national cellulosic industry. The Honorable Jay Inslee, US Representative (D-WA) will deliver the Keynote Address.
Representatives from the offices of Ben Nelson and Richard Lugar, U.S. Senate, and the offices of U.S. Reps. Jay Inslee and John Barrow will discuss governmental support of the Cellulosic Ethanol industry. A representative from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is scheduled to discuss the impact of environmental regulation on the industry.
The Cellulosic Ethanol Workshop will feature industry experts detailing harvesting, preprocessing, storage and transportation developments that will impact the infrastructure needed to collect and ship large volumes of biomass to biorefineries.
For further information about the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit, please visit www.infocastinc.com/cell07.html or call Daniel Sullivan at (818) 888-4445 ext. 23.
NEVC New Members
NEVC welcomes these newest corporate members to the coalition:
CDS Malibu Realty
City of Austin – Fleet Services
Jubitz Fleet Services
LIC
Myszka Oil & Motors, LLC
A complete listing of corporate members can be accessed on the NEVC website at http://www.e85fuel.com/membership/membership_list.php.
For more information about the corporate benefits of membership in the NEVC, visit http://www.e85fuel.com/membership/corporate_membership.php. Email Haley Wansing at hwansing@e85fuel.com or call (573) 635-8445 ext. 12 to sign up today.
Member Spotlight–Gulf Oil Limited Partnership
Gulf Oil Limited Partnership is one of the Northeast's largest branded marketers and wholesale distributors of petroleum products. The company distributes more than 70 million barrels annually in the 11 states bounded by Delaware to the South, Ohio to the West, and Canada to the North. Currently there are close to 2,500 branded stations within that eleven-state footprint, which is just above 10 percent of all gasoline stations in the marketing area.
“We believe biofuels have an important role to play in the diversification and broadening of our nation's motor fuel pool,” noted Gulf Oil’s Director of Business Development and Biofuels Laura Scott . “Gulf already blends and markets more than $1 million per day in ethanol.”
“We believe the United States and the world face a great energy challenge created by the convergence of three majors factors: 1. The rise in price of petroleum products driven by dwindling supply or at least higher-priced supply. 2. The need for environmentally-friendly substitutes for carbon-based fuels . 3. The need to diversify away from dependence on supply origins which will remain less than secure. Therefore, E85 and FFV development can be an important part of the solution which addresses all three challenges.”
Scott added, “It is not necessary for ethanol to replace hydrocarbons entirely to garner a benefit. Ethanol need only compete alongside other fuels with a much smaller, but reasonable, market share.” The NEVC agrees.
We welcome Gulf Oil Limited Partnership to the NEVC!
New E85 Stations
Below is a list of fueling facilities which have installed E85 since the issuance of our last NEVC newsletter.
The following 11 facilities are or will soon be carrying the clean-burning, alternative—E85:
South Sherman Texaco
207 South Sherman Street
Fort Morgan
CO
Meadges Mini Mart
709 East Main
Alhambra
IL
Kath's Gas Plus #3
525 Lafayette Road
Saint Paul
MN
Kwik Trip #445
1401 4th Street NW
Austin
MN
O'Ryan's Marathon
9855 Hart Boulevard
Monticello
MN
Jerry's U-Save Conoco
211 South Highway 9
Morris
MN
Severson's Food Plus Sinclair
50 Riverview Drive
Winona
MN
Naes Fuel
1838 North Broadway
St. Louis
MO
Thoele Oil
2212 First Capitol
St. Charles
MO
Thoele Oil
3740 West Clay
St. Charles
MO
Thoele Oil
1001 North Highway 47
Warrenton
MO
There are currently 1,267 E85 stations available across the United States. For a complete listing, go to www.E85Refueling.com.
To inform us of changes to our E85 site, please email info@e85fuel.com.
Letters to the NEVC
Letters to the NEVC - This section highlights emails and letters 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. Comments included in Letters to the NEVC do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization.
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Offer Your Own Solutions
Hi Michelle,
Did you catch issue 1032 from Rolling Stone Magazine titled "The Ethanol Scam". They were extremely critical. Ethanol may not be the holy Grail against oil but it's a start. I hate people that criticize fuel alternatives without offering their own solutions.
Thanks, keep up the good work.
Rick
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Lasting a Long Time
Gentlemen,
In 2002 I bought a Chevy S-10 pickup to which GM attached a label stating that this vehicle is capable of burning E85 fuel. I live in central New York east of Binghamton where things move slowly. In September I turn 69 and the truck will hit 120,000 miles. I hope we both last long enough to try a least one tank of E85. Keep up the good work.
Regards,
John
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Please feel free to email your story suggestions, comments, corrections, or clarifications to info@E85Fuel.com, or call us toll-free at 877.485.8595.
NEVC Calendar
September 4-5, 2007
Bioenergy: From Fields to Wheels at Penn State, University Park, PA. For more information, go to http://www.bioenergy.psu.edu/crossover2007/.
September 10-12, 2007
International Distillers Grains Conference, Educating and Empowering End Users hosted by Distillers Grains Magazine and BBI International at the Hilton Minneapolis in Minneapolis, MN. For more information, go to www.distillersgrainsconference.com.
September 11-14, 2007
Alabama Clean Corridor Workshops. For more information, visit http://www.alabamacleancorridors.com/workshoprsvp.cfm.
September 14-15, 2007
Pima Association of Governments’ Alternative Energy Expo at the Tucson Convention Center. For more information, visit www.TucsonAltEnergyExpo.com.
October 9-11, 2007
Biofuels Workshop & Trade Show — Western Region, Building a Biofuels Industry at the Marriott Portland Downtown Waterfront in Portland, OR. For more information, go to www.biofuelsworkshop.com.
September 27, 2007
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Biofuels Infrastructure Conference in Washington D.C. For more information, contact Harry Morgan at (202) 463-5833 or hmorgan@uschamber.com.
October 15-17, 2007
Infocast’s Cellulosic Ethanol Summit in Washington D.C. For more information, go to www.infocastinc.com/cell07.html.
November 7-9, 2007
2007 PEI Convention at the NACS Show in Atlanta, GA. For more information, go to http://www.pei.org/show.
November 28-30, 2007
Biofuels Workshop & Trade Show — Eastern Region, Building a Biofuels Industry at the Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, go to www.biofuelsworkshop.com.
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.
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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.
