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Countdown to E15?

Posted: November 9, 2009 at 11:16 AM CST

The clock is ticking until the U.S. EPA’s decision on the E15 waiver request. The agency is scheduled to make its decision by Dec. 1. No matter what the decision, the industry implications will most likely be instant and enormous.

Mum’s been the word from EPA officials so far, but the ethanol industry continues to speak out on the issue. At a Poet LLC event last week, CEO Jeff Broin urged attendees to call their Congressional representatives and express the need to increase the ethanol blend. Growth Energy co-chairman Gen. Wesley Clark, who also attended the event, laid the groundwork for a move to insert an increase in the ethanol blend rate into law if the EPA fails to approve the E15 request.

A recent opinion piece in the Kansas City Star offered a “pros and cons” look at the potential ethanol increase. Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, wrote in favor of the increase, arguing that greater ethanol use will lessen the need for imported fuel as well as lower the cost per gallon of gasoline for U.S. drivers. Andrew Morris of the University of Illinois argued against the increase, stating that corn-based ethanol is “a terrible transportation fuel whose production has serious environmental consequences and raises food prices for the world’s poor while delivering few net environmental benefits.” He blamed ethanol lobbyists and farm state senators for pushing their agenda and rushing the EPA into a decision.

-Kris Bevill