E15 on it's way

[GoneFission]

In an April 2nd press release, EPA announced that it had approved the first applications from fuel manufacturers for registration of fuel containing up to 15% ethanol, which is known as E15. According to press reports, 20 companies are now qualified as suppliers of the new "biofuel" to gas stations.

In 2011, EPA approved the use of E15 as motor fuel but only in certain vehicles (2001 and newer automobiles and light trucks.) It specifically prohibited E15 use in boat and other non-road engines. When that happened, BoatUS and other groups demanded the agency to develop safeguards that would prevent misfueling. (EPA's answer to preventing the public from inadvertently using E15 in the wrong engines is a sticker that retailers must affix to their pumps.)

Look out for that label on the gas pump!  Don't put E15 in your boat!

[fmaster360]

e10 in the boat or any other item that's not used daily is catastrophic. I could only imagine what this would be like. Maybe it will allow more companies to provide pure fuel to us. The sad part is, it's unlikely going to make cost of gas go down, thereby screwing the consumer. Less fuel economy, and the same price.

[wingtime]

Ethanol fuel is subsidized by the federal government!  So any financial gain or savings is totally false.  The amount of diesel fuel burned, and petroleum products used to produce fertilizers, farm equipment, fermenting etc takes more energy than is produced!

[Rhojo]

A study by Mercury on e15 in their engines. http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/52909.pdf

[hopefishing]

I am very fortunate in that I have a local station that offers recreational fuel that is non ethanol. I only fuel there and also carry a gas tester with me and check the gas before I fuel. The tester is simple and easy to use a complete kit cost $30 but I only use the squirt bottle and test vial. Its just a small vial that you put water into up to a certain level, then fill the gas to another level. Put the stopper in and shake for 30 seconds. It will then tell you the level of ethanol in the gas. I will say that using this little thing has shown me that E10 gas, is somtimes more than 10% somtimes 1%. There seems to be no real standard. I also check marina gas, just to make sure that just because the sign says no ethanol, who knows what the truck driver actually dropped. Trust but verify