Govs. Walz and Noem for Support of E30
(Grand Rapids Herald Review) Recently, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the chair of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition, along with South Dakota Gov. and coalition vice chair Kristi Noem, sent a letter to President Trump urging the administration to consider 30 percent ethanol blends, or E30, as a way to reduce toxic aromatics in gasoline.
The two governors cited the Clean Air Act and previous congressional votes as precedents for reducing aromatics. In the years since Congress voted to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce aromatics as much as possible, these compounds are still being used at a high frequency.
“The average gallon of gasoline is composed of nearly 30 percent toxic aromatics in order to increase octane required by today’s engines,” Walz and Noem wrote. “As oil prices have risen, aromatic costs have followed, with consumers paying the price. Aromatics are the most expensive, least energy efficient and most carbon intensive and toxic part of gasoline.
“One practical and cost-effective way to reduce aromatics is to use 30 percent ethanol blends to reduce particulate matter and black carbon emissions by 45 percent, and hydrocarbon pollution by more than 20 percent.”
Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) has long supported increased use of homegrown biofuels, including E30, not just for their positive impact on markets for family farmers, but for its benefits to consumers’ health and savings on gasoline. MFU President Gary Wertish was recently appointed by Gov. Walz to the Governor’s Council on Biofuels for the State of Minnesota as part of this advocacy. The grassroots organization thanks Gov. Walz and Gov. Noem for standing up for the benefits of biofuels.
“Renewable fuels such as E30 are good for the whole country, and I’m grateful that the leaders of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition are making that clear to the Trump administration,” President Wertish said. “We are proud to work with Gov. Walz on his Biofuels Council and advocate for this important market that benefits rural and urban people alike.” READ MORE
Letter: Continuing the fight for E30 (Aberdeen News)
Ethanol leaders urge Noem to continue voicing support for E30 (Ethanol Producer Magazine)
Excerpt from Aberdeen News: … Gov. Kristi Noem reported on state government’s role supporting their E30 Challenge and other key research proving standard auto engines and flex-fuel auto engines are identical twins when using at least 30% ethanol blend. It’s a revolutionary true reality that has been demonized, along with its messengers —now including Noem — by oil and auto interests. Surprisingly, also by nearly all corn and ethanol organizations like South Dakota Corn Growers, POET, etc.
Skeptical? Call Corn, POET, American Coalition of Ethanol and Renewable Fuels Association offices. They will confess having the same cowardly policy message: “E30 is illegal for and damages standard auto engines” because they do not want to risk being at odds with or being sued by the Environmental Protection Agency or oil interests. Fear dominates and truth is forbidden.
That brings us back to Noem’s encouraging statements such as, “Individuals, a child, including a small state, can do big things.” Yet it’s a reminder it’s fantasy to think the South Dakota ethanol industry was born out of blue. In 1984, big vision leaders knew the buck stopped here for the responsibility to end the state economy’s devastation caused by the embargo’s high oil prices. They knew South Dakota was transferring its wealth to foreign-owned oil interests, poisoning our children with oil’s tailpipe emissions and forcing our sons and daughters to fight oil wars.
Wisely, those leaders legislated a perfect, profitable business plan, demonstrating to the nation a proven pathway to end our prohibitively expensive oil addictions. We set a precedent with a penny-a-gallon pipeline tax on imported oil, incentivizing our billion-dollar ethanol industry that can also advertise that E30’s legal for all autos.
Orrie Swayze READ MORE
