API and a group of food and farm industry associations filed a lawsuit today with the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit against the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) E15 waiver decision.

The suit says the EPA lacks the statutory authority to approve an increase in the ethanol content of gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent only for use in 2007 and newer model year cars and light-duty trucks. Further, it says the waiver was approved before testing was completed on the safety, performance and environmental impacts of the new fuel.

"The EPA's partial waiver is premature," said API's Director of Downstream Operations Bob Greco, "and puts consumers at risk. Ongoing testing by our industry, the automakers and the Department of Energy...[has] revealed potential safety and performance... more »

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a new multi-million dollar program to promote the production of and demand for biofuels. His announcement came on the heels of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) approval of E15, a fuel blend containing up to 15 percent ethanol.

According to a news release, the program will create a base of new, non-food, non-feed biomass crops to meet future demand for renewable energy. "The Obama administration is aggressively supporting our nation's farmers, ranchers and producers of biofuels as they work to bring greater energy independence to America," Vilsack said.

A reporter who attended the Secretary's speech at the National Press Club says Vilsack also called on Congress to give the ethanol industry a short-term subsidy extension and annou... more »

On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a waiver that allows for 15 percent ethanol blends in gasoline (E15), up from 10 percent. This decision is premature at best, potentially dangerous at worst, and seems based more on politics than science.

The oil and natural gas industry supports the development of alternative fuels like E15. However, this decision preempts both the conclusion of ongoing industry testing and environmental analyses mandated by the Clean Air Act. This premature waiver could threaten vehicle performance and the environment, void warranties, confuse consumers--and possibly create a public backlash against renewable fuels.

This week's E15 announcement is just another example of EPA's regulatory overreach that could end up eliminating millions of j... more »

Yesterday's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) E15 news release is a classic example of Washington obfuscation. Although it appears to explain the agency's reasons for approving a new fuel blend consisting of 85 percent gasoline and 15 percent ethanol for 2007 and new vehicles, the news release very cleverly avoids many of the key considerations that should have been part of the E15 decision.

A careful reading of the news release reveals that EPA did not base its E15 approval on whether E15 could damage engines. In the first paragraph, it says:

"EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson made the decision after a review of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) extensive testing and other available data on E15's impact on engine durability and emissions."

In the next paragraph, however, Jackson... more »

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today approved the use of E15, a fuel blend consisting of 85 percent gasoline and 15 percent ethanol, for 2007 and newer vehicles. The announcement, which had been hinted at for several weeks, prompted observers to wonder whether the agency has put politics--and the mid-term election--before science.

The EPA made the announcement long before the Coordinating Research Council (CRC) could complete its tests on the durability of engines operating on fuel blends containing more than 10 percent ethanol. The scientists have been initially running tests with a 20 percent ethanol blend as they study engines' tolerance for ethanol. Some engines have failed at 20 percent, including two 2007 models. These will require further testing at 15 percent, whi... more »