NMMA, others send letter to White House asking for more ethanol testing

Sportfishing Magazine
By BoatU.S. News
Fri, Jan 08, 2010

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) in partnership with the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) and twelve other trade groups representing 90% of retail gasoline providers, almost all automobile manufacturers and a large majority of motorcycle and non-road equipment manufacturers sent a letter Wednesday to the EPA, Department of Energy (DOE) and The White House concerning the EPA's pending decision on the use of E15 and DOE's Ethanol Research Program.

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Two Pumps for Ethanol Fuel: An Unlikely Solution

TheLog.com
Thursday, December 10, 2009 12:00:00 AM

Faced with a decision on whether to allow the level of ethanol in gasoline to rise from a maximum of 10 percent to 15 percent (a fuel blend called E15) the EPA did what government agencies often do: It delayed the decision until next year.

On one side, powerful ethanol lobbyists from the Growth Energy consortium, on behalf of their agribusiness clients, are pushing hard for a government sanction of 15 percent ethanol levels in gasoline. They claim the move would help make the U.S. more energy independent and would help the environment — although both claims have been challenged by opponents of increased ethanol levels in gasoline.

On the other side, builders of boats and marine engines, builders of lawn mowers and other small-engine equipment, and petroleum producers oppose allowing more ethanol in gasoline. Even the current 10 percent ethanol fuel blends have caused major damage in boat engines, fuel system components and fuel tanks (not to mention the damage caused to other equipment with small gasoline engines), they argue.

After examining the evidence of the damage higher ethanol fuel blends could wreak on boats and other small-engine products, you might think that the EPA would have no alternative but to reject plans to allow the new E15 fuel. But you’d be wrong.

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Boater sues over ethanol-laced gasoline's effect on fiberglass fuel tank

By Elizabeth Douglass, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 15, 2008

Something was wrong with Sally Ann.

For months, she sputtered and choked, and Barry Treahy's remedies weren't working. He kept changing her fuel filters. Then he rebuilt her carburetor. Finally, he cut into her gas tank, cleaned out the mysterious caramel-colored gunk and patched her up -- twice.

Disaster struck on a summer day in San Diego, when Treahy's beloved 20-foot fishing boat was parked street side with the outer hull plug open to drain any residual water. The boat's 55-gallon gas tank failed and gasoline streamed into the bilge and down the street.

"I wasn't smart enough to figure it out at first," Treahy said of Sally Ann's chronic troubles. Finally, he found the answer in a boating magazine. Ethanol-laced gasoline was dissolving his boat's fiberglass fuel tank, sending bits of resin to clog filters and ultimately eating a hole all the way through the tank.

Years of adding ethanol to gasoline to reduce air pollution and foreign oil dependence has had a nasty side effect: The stuff appears to damage boat fuel tanks made of fiberglass. And California is a floating testing ground for the ethanol effect.

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