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Accidentally misfueling a boat with E15 fuel can lead to expensive repairs.

President’s Plan to Seek Clean Air Act Waiver to Allow Sale of E15 Fuel Year-Round Doesn’t Sit Well with Boater’s Advocate

The nation’s largest advocacy, services and safety group for recreational boaters, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), reacted negatively to the recent news of the Administration’s plan to permit the sale of E15 (15 percent ethanol) fuel year-round.

E15 is prohibited by federal law for use in recreational boat engines, voids many marine engine warranties, and is currently banned for sale in many states by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during summer months over concerns that it contributes to smog on hot days. Under the Administration’s new proposal, however, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would grant a waiver to the Clean Air Act to permit the sale of E15 in all 50 states year-round at the same roadside gas stations where most recreational boaters refuel their trailered vessels.

The BoatUS statement said today:

“The proposal to permit the sale of a fuel (E15) during the peak summer boating season that is both harmful and illegal to use in marine engines is a major concern for boat owners. The nation’s 11 million recreational boaters want fuel that is safe for their boats, however, this proposed EPA policy change will increase the chances that boaters could inadvertently put engine-killing E15 into their tanks. Unlike the physical barriers that prevent misfueling between gasoline and diesel fuel-powered vessels, just one small orange warning label on the fuel pump is all that stands between a boat owner making a misfueling mistake that could lead to expensive, warranty-voiding repairs and catastrophic engine failure.”

At the core of the issue is the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). When it was passed in 2005, RFS assumed that America’s use of gasoline would continue to grow. Since then, however, gasoline usage has not increased as forecast, which today forces more ethanol into each gallon of gas. To keep up with the RFS mandate, in 2010 the EPA granted a partial waiver to allow E15 into the marketplace – which they are now expanding regardless of market demand and infrastructure constraints. Only fuels containing up to 10 percent ethanol (E10) are permitted for use in recreational boats.

The more than half-million-member boat owners group is a member of Smarter Fuel Future and supports fuel choice, including smart biofuels development such as biobutanol, and the availability of ethanol-free fuels that most boat owners prefer.

Further Reading

www.coastalboating.net/News/2017/05-2017/16-05.../index.html
Big Ethanol” is at it again. In a new advertising campaign timed with the start of boating season, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the leading trade ...
www.coastalboating.net/News/2018/09-2018/19-09.../index.html
Only fuels containing up to 10-percent ethanol (E10) are permitted for use in recreational boats, and anything greater has been shown to damage marine ...
www.coastalboating.net/News/2018/06-2018/...ethanol/index.html
With the start of the boating season, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) wants to hear from boaters about their experiences with ethanol  ...
www.coastalboating.net/News/2015/11-2015/04-11.../index.html
Ethanol in gasoline stored for long periods can damage marine and motorcycle engines: “phase separation” of the fuel can leave a corrosive water-soaked ...
www.coastalboating.net/News/2015/09-2015/01-09.../index.html
As boaters head into the Labor Day weekend and fill up their boat's gas tank for one last hurrah of the season, a vast majority say they want ethanol-free gas, but  ...
www.coastalboating.net/News/2016/07.../04...Ethanol.../index.html
Most marine engines are built to only work with up to 10% ethanol, and it is illegal to use gas containing more than 10% ethanol in any marine engine.
www.coastalboating.net/News/2015/06-2015/...ethanol/index.html
Jun 17, 2015 ... Engine manufacturers from across the recreational boating industry identified biobutanol as a suitable and safe alternative biofuel to ethanol, ...
www.coastalboating.net/News/2016/05-2016/26-05.../index.html
One mistake at the fuel pump this summer could be costly for boaters who misfuel and inadvertently dispense unapproved, high ethanol blends into the boat's ...
www.coastalboating.net/News/2016/07-2016/14-07.../index.html
Jul 11, 2016 ... BoatUS had asked the boating public to add their voice to a proposal to increase the amount of ethanol that must be blended into the nation's ...
coastalboating.net/News/2015/07-2015/14-07.../index.html
The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is the 2005 federal law that requires the blending of biofuels such as corn-ethanol into our gasoline. When it was written,  ...

 



     
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