The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its plans to further increase the country’s ethanol mandates, surpassing the current record high levels finalized less than one year ago. By next year, the EPA is requiring the American public to consume 700 million more gallons of renewable fuel, whether they want to or not.
The good news according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is that this is still just a proposal, as they and other organizations are working hard on legislation to protect boat owners from the damaging effects of higher blends of ethanol fuel, like E15.
“It has been proven that E15 and higher blends destroy marine engines, void warranties and leave boaters stranded on the water. With the EPA forcing more E15 onto the market, the government is jeopardizing the boating industry and endangering the boating public,” NMMA said in a letter sent to members of Congress in support of H.R. 5180, the bipartisan Food and Fuel Consumer Protection Act. “Considering that 97 percent of boats are fueled up at gas stations, the likelihood of accidental misfueling is high.”
According to NMMA, H.R. 5180 put forth by the House of Representatives in Washington DC would take significant steps to avoid a catastrophe happening from an accidental misfueling.
“This bill will curtail ethanol volumes back below the so-called "blendwall," ensuring that consumers have choice at the pump to select the ethanol blend of gasoline that best fits their product-including ethanol-free gasoline that is enjoyed and sought out by millions of boaters, and beneficial to our legacy fleet of older vessels,” NMMA said. “It is clear that legislative action is the only thing to stop the EPA from forcing dangerous fuels into our country’s fuel supply, and this bill will go a long way to reverse course and protect marine engines and the 88 million boaters who enjoy our country’s waterways each year.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on June 22 on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) implementation issues; this is the committee of jurisdiction for any legislative action affecting the ethanol mandate, and marked the first time the committee held a hearing on the topic this Congress. Witnesses testifying included top representatives from the EPA and EIA, along with industry stakeholders, including representatives from the Smarter Fuel Future coalition.
In his opening marks before the Committee, Ranking Member Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) spoke of several concerns from within his district in coastal Monmouth County. “There are also a number of constituencies – particularly equipment manufacturers and their customers, including small boaters– who still have concerns about increasing the percentage of ethanol beyond the 10 percent fraction that is commonly sold throughout the country,” said Rep. Pallone.
Despite Congressman Pallone’s milquetoast party-line defense of New Jersey boaters in advance of the campaign contribution collection season, the only New Jersey members of Congress to sign on to support H.R. 5180 so far have been Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ).
While the hearing was largely a fact-finding exercise, NMMA was pleased to see Democrats and Republicans on the committee argue in favor of fixing the RFS. Congressman Welch (D-VT) spoke at length about the problems he and his constituents face with engine damage, and even brought in damaged carburetors to show to his colleagues. Congressman Flores (R-TX) and others harped on the EPA’s proposed action to decimate the supply of ethanol free gasoline, and the effect that will have on our industry. Flores and Welch have joined with 50 of their colleagues to champion the Food and Fuel Consumer Protection Act, which NMMA believes to be the best solution to the RFS while calling on Congress to "fix this broken law."
“Boaters can’t assume that every fuel sold at gas stations will work in marine engines,” said BoatUS President Margaret Podlich. “Boats can only run on 10 percent or less ethanol content (E10) fuel-and we know many boaters prefer to use ethanol-free (E0) when possible. Unfortunately, as a result of the federal ethanol fuel mandates (RFS), boaters may face a much harder time this summer finding the E0 fuel they want. And with more E15 forced into the fuel supply by the RFS, the threat of accidental misfueling-especially at gas stations with blender pumps-is growing.”
An estimated 95 percent of boats are filled at retail gas stations, but a 2016 Harris Poll commissioned by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute found a startling 60 percent of consumers believe any gas sold at retail stations is suitable for all engines and products. Further, only 36 percent know E15 is harmful to some engines-with just five percent aware that its use in those engines is also illegal.
“Our priority is always to keep boaters safe,” said NMMA President Thom Dammrich. “By increasing the share of fuels in the marketplace that are unsafe for marine engines, the federal government’s RFS is putting boaters at risk. Research shows the costly price of accidentally misfueling a boat with E15 can include stalling, corrosion, fuel leaks, damaged valves and complete engine failure-each of which could put boaters and their safety in jeopardy. Now more than ever, with E15 on the rise, the threat of misfueling is real.”
To learn more about what NMMA is doing to represent its customers in the ethanol debate in Washington DC, go to the Issue Tracker page of the NMMA website.
