IN
THE
WIND
P52
PROPOSED 2018 RENEWABLE FUEL
OBLIGATIONS RELEASED
T
he proposed 2018 Renewable Fuel Stan-
dard volume requirements announced
Wednesday by the U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency show a slight reduction from the
2017 obligations but do not reflect the agency's
promise to listen to consumers, who have
registered a low demand for higher ethanol
blends, the American Motorcyclist Association
reports.
The EPA's proposed Renewable Volume
Obligations call for 19.24 billion gallons of bio-
fuel for 2018, down less than one percent from
19.28 billion gallons this year.
"We are encouraged that the EPA is not
proposing another increase in ethanol mandates,"
said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for gov-
ernment relations. "But we would prefer that the
agency recognize what America's marketplace is
saying: 'Consumers don't want higher-ethanol fuel
blends.'"
Of the 19.24 billion gallons of biofuels proposed
for 2018, 15 billion gallons would be conventional
renewables, primarily corn ethanol, with lesser
amounts of conventional biodiesel and renewable
diesel, according to the EPA.
The agency said the "volume of ethanol that
can be consumed as E10 in 2018 is projected to
be 14.29 billion gallons."
The AMA opposes any increase in the Renew-
able Volume Obligations under the Renewable
Fuel Standard and would prefer a much larger
reduction because higher ethanol mandates force
greater amounts of high-ethanol fuel, such as E15,
into the marketplace. An increase in the supply
of E15 can lead to more inadvertent misfueling—
caused by blender pumps and confusing pump
labels—by motorcyclists.
E15 fuel is a blend of 85 percent gasoline and
15 percent ethanol and represents a 50 percent
increase in ethanol over the common E10 blend
most Americans currently use in their vehicles.
None of the estimated 22 million motorcycles and
all-terrain vehicles in use in the United States is
approved by the EPA to operate on ethanol blends
higher than 10 percent. Using higher-ethanol
blends in those vehicles is illegal and may cause
engine and fuel-system damage and void the
manufacturer's warranty.
The AMA is also concerned the increased reli-
ance on corn ethanol could further reduce the
amount of E0 fuel available. Since the distribution
network for E15 and E85 is limited, fuel producers
may be forced to reduce E0 output to stay within
the EPA's rule.
"It is clear that the Renewable Fuel Standard
has been broken for years and Congress needs
to reform the law to protect motorcyclists and the
millions of consumers who do not want higher
ethanol blends," Allard said.
The proposed 2018 rule can be downloaded
here.
There will be a 45-day comment period and a
public hearing before any further action can oc-
cur. CN
