FEATURE

Gas Problems Ahead?

A proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency has boating organizations up in arms. Those organizations are now asking individual boaters for help in letting the EPA know the idea of allowing introduction of a new fuel that has not been independently tested in marine engines isn't a good one.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and the Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatU.S.) have taken serious exception with a proposal that would allow an increase in the amount of ethanol allowed in gasoline to rise from ten to fifteen percent.

That was proposed in March after Growth Energy, a pro-ethanol group collected fifty four other groups and petitioned the EPA to allow what is a fifty-percent bump in ethanol and reclassify E-10 fuel as E-15.

One small problem for boaters: engines are not designed, certified or calibrated to run with more than E-10 fuel. Recreational boat warranty documents and manufacturers owner's manuals currently advise boaters not to use more than ten percent ethanol. The end result could be a forced change that would void warranties and potentially damage fuel systems.

"This is not about growing renewable energy," says BoatU.S. Vice President of Government Affairs Margaret Podlich. "This is really about a group of investors attempting to profit at the expense of 13 million recreational boat owners. We had significant problems with the nationwide roll-out of E10 a few years ago, and without further independent testing of E15 with marine engines we are very likely to see similar issues."

Podlich's comments refer to the widely known problem with ethanol's ability to attract water into gasoline or "phase separate" which has led to major problems and repair and replacement costs for boaters. Another problem is ethanol degrading fiberglass boat gas tank walls.

The proposal for the ethanol increase could also pose problems for a myriad of other small engines, from boats to chainsaws, lawn mowers, ATVs and virtually any other gas-powered engine.

NMMA Legislative Director Mathew Dunn offers what he calls a simple solution: "Science -- not politics -- should ultimately determine EPA's decision on whether to allow the sale of any increased ethanol blend that's more than 10 percent," he says, "At present, it is clear there is insufficient scientific and technical data to justify granting the increase, and EPA should therefore deny it outright."

Testing prior to implementing a content standard for gasoline seems to be a reasonable request, especially when it could radically impact the performance of both civilian and military engines.

The challenge is to get the message to the EPA before their extended public comment period ends on July 20.

And the boating industry isn't the only one concerned about the E-15 proposal. A national association representing convenience stores and gas stations says they're concerned about lawsuits from car owners claiming their cars were damaged by E-15 gasoline.

Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) which certifies gas pumps and safety for a wide range of products says it will not provide that UL certification to E-15 pumps. UL's safety director says the maximum level that would be certified was always set at E-15. The problem is the potential for slight variations in the mix of ethanol and gasoline. In other words, it's not going to be possible for operators to say without fear of error that their pumps are absolutely dispensing no higher than E-15 mixtures.

NMMA and BoatU.S. have provided web links for boaters that will enable them to send comments to the EPA and request a denial of the waiver for increases to E15 until further testing can prove the safety of the mixture.

Those links are:
http://www.BoatUS.com/gov
http://capwiz.com/nmma/home.

We'll keep you posted.

--Jim Shepherd

Jul 15-17	ICAST Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida
Jul 23-26	Ninth Annual QDMA National Convention and Whitetail Expo Kentucky International Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky

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