Flex Fuel Pumps and a Green Energy Economy
by Tom Vilsack (The White House Blog) …Today there are millions of so-called ‘flex fuel vehicles’ on the road that can use fuel containing up to 85 percent ethanol (E-85). But too few filling stations offer this fuel. Some folks don’t even know that their car or truck is built to use E-85. So while many stations make it easy for motorists to choose between regular and super grade petroleum at the pump, very few stations allow motorist to make a similar choice when it comes to a blend of ethanol and petroleum.
The Obama Administration has set a goal of making 10,000 new flex-fuel pumps available to America’s drivers within the next five years – a five-fold increase from today’s level. And today, I am visiting Minnesota where there are over 360 stations pumping E-85 – more than any other state. It is time for the rest of the nation to follow their lead.
Making higher ethanol blends available to drivers not only gives them choices, it helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil and build a green energy economy. As demand for American-produced ethanol increases, new production techniques are making it possible to produce high quality fuel from biomass including wood chips, switchgrass and even algae. And as this technology reaches commercialization levels, refineries producing these biofuels will need to dot the countryside, providing good paying jobs for Americans. READ MORE
