New Flex-Fuel Pumps Allow Minnesotans to Breathe Easier, Save Money
by Bruce Peterson and Jeffrey Jackson (Owatonna People’s Press) … We all want to breathe cleaner air and save a few bucks when we put fuel in our vehicles. I am proud to say that Minnesota’s corn farmers are helping to make both of those things happen.
Over the last two years, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) has been part of a broad coalition that has made investments to install flex-fuel pumps at Minnesota stations.
More than 40 fuel stations now contain about 120 flex-fuel pumps capable of dispensing a combination of regular unleaded, E15 (a fuel blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline approved for use in all vehicles made in 2001 or newer), E30 or E85 (for flex-fuel vehicles only).
Earlier this month, we received word that the Fueling Ethanol Choice in Minnesota coalition will soon be able to fund 620 new flex-fuel pumps in Minnesota thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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Flex-fuel pumps provide drivers with a cleaner-burning choice at the pump. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), replacing a gallon of gasoline with a gallon of ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 60 percent.
When the Twin Cities region was in non-attainment status with EPA due to poor air quality in the mid-1990s, we turned to ethanol to help clean our air. It worked.
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For far too long, the oil industry has been successful in blocking the installation of flex-fuel infrastructure in order to maintain its monopoly on our fuel tanks and our wallets. Minnesota corn farmers have never been intimidated by Big Oil’s deep pockets and political power. We’re going to keep working on behalf of all consumers for market access for homegrown biofuels. READ MORE and MORE includes VIDEO (KIMT News)