Post by yihunt on Apr 26, 2010 14:31:22 GMT -4
New gas could affect boat owners
Buzz up!By Bob Frye, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to vote this summer on whether to allow a 50 percent increase in the amount of ethanol in the nation's gasoline supply, according to the Boat Owners Association of the United States, the nation's largest boating group.
Testing on whether the new gas works is scheduled to be done on a group of 2001-and-newer model vehicles. No testing, the Boat Owners Association says, will be done on older cars, boats, non-road vehicles or gas engine-powered equipment.
"Some of our members have advised us of performance, compatibility and possible safety issues with the current (ethanol) blend," said Margaret Podlich, the Boat Owners Association's U.S. vice president of government affairs. "To add 50 percent more ethanol to every gallon of gas without first knowing what it will do to the older vehicles and other gasoline engines we currently own is simply irresponsible."
The U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety also has raised concerns about higher levels of ethanol and the lack of independent testing.
Ethanol, a strong solvent, can accelerate the deterioration of fuel system components such as fuel lines, causing them to fail and increasing the level of risk for fire or explosions, according to the Boat Owners Association.
The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service reported in a Jan. 28 "Report for Congress" that "currently, no automaker warranties its vehicles to use gasoline higher than 10 percent ethanol," and "small engine manufacturers similarly limit the allowable level of ethanol."
Forty-six motor sports, environmental, food and advocacy groups, including the Boat Owners Association, have joined to form an organization called followthescience.org, asking for "science first" before the EPA allows a new fuel on the market.
Buzz up!By Bob Frye, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to vote this summer on whether to allow a 50 percent increase in the amount of ethanol in the nation's gasoline supply, according to the Boat Owners Association of the United States, the nation's largest boating group.
Testing on whether the new gas works is scheduled to be done on a group of 2001-and-newer model vehicles. No testing, the Boat Owners Association says, will be done on older cars, boats, non-road vehicles or gas engine-powered equipment.
"Some of our members have advised us of performance, compatibility and possible safety issues with the current (ethanol) blend," said Margaret Podlich, the Boat Owners Association's U.S. vice president of government affairs. "To add 50 percent more ethanol to every gallon of gas without first knowing what it will do to the older vehicles and other gasoline engines we currently own is simply irresponsible."
The U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety also has raised concerns about higher levels of ethanol and the lack of independent testing.
Ethanol, a strong solvent, can accelerate the deterioration of fuel system components such as fuel lines, causing them to fail and increasing the level of risk for fire or explosions, according to the Boat Owners Association.
The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service reported in a Jan. 28 "Report for Congress" that "currently, no automaker warranties its vehicles to use gasoline higher than 10 percent ethanol," and "small engine manufacturers similarly limit the allowable level of ethanol."
Forty-six motor sports, environmental, food and advocacy groups, including the Boat Owners Association, have joined to form an organization called followthescience.org, asking for "science first" before the EPA allows a new fuel on the market.