The Environmental Protection Agency wants to raise the amount of biofuels in America’s gasoline once again, but an energy industry executive says the move could severely damage most of the vehicles in the U.S., reduce the amount of energy per gallon and add to the national economic uncertainty.
The Obama EPA recently unveiled its proposal for the 2017 Renewable Fuel Standard. The administration says the call for additional biofuels is part of its ongoing effort to reduce dependence upon fossil fuels and develop cleaner burning energy sources.
But that’s not how the energy industry sees it at all.
“The new rule continues to push us toward breaching the blend wall. That is our big concern here, and that is reaching above 10 percent ethanol in the fuel mix,” warned American Petroleum Institute Downstream Group Director Frank Macchiarola.
He told WND and Radio America on paper the new Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, would still keep biofuels below the 10 percent threshold, but demand levels could actually drive the percentage above 10 percent. He said that could be a death sentence to the engines of most personal vehicles in the U.S.
“What AAA has said is that up to 90 percent of the vehicles on the road are not compatible with higher-blended ethanols such as E15,” Macchiarola said. “The more you push toward that, the greater the potential threat is to your fuel system and to your engine.”
Far from embracing higher biofuel levels, the American Petroleum Institute is asking Congress to significantly lower them or scrap the RFS altogether. Macchiarola said the original legislation came in response to conditions that no longer exist.