FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kristin Brekke, American Coalition for Ethanol kbrekke@ethanol.org / (605) 334-3381
Underwriters Laboratories Decision Causes Confusion over Status of E85 Pumps
Sioux Falls, SD (October 30, 2006) – In the face of confusion over Underwriters Laboratories’ (UL) recent decision to rescind its earlier approval of some E85 pump components, the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) today sought to help clarify what the ruling actually means.
Because the decision has been reported by some as a change in UL’s approval of “ethanol” pumps, rather than correctly identifying it as a ruling that only affects E85, ACE has received many inquiries from petroleum marketers who are concerned that they might need to change pumps used to dispense E10 or other ethanol blends.
“It’s important to be clear that Underwriters Laboratories’ decision has absolutely no impact on pumps that dispense ethanol blends up to 10 percent,” said Ron Lamberty, ACE Vice President / Market Development.
All vehicles made and marketed in the U.S. can use fuel with up to 10% ethanol. Overall, ethanol is blended into 46% of the nation’s gasoline, most as E10. Flexible fuel vehicles can operate on gasoline or any blend of ethanol up to E85, 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. E85 is currently available at about 1,000 of the nation’s 170,000 gas stations.
ACE also pointed out that the E85 pump certification change does not mean that all E85 pumps will be shut down. Underwriters Laboratories, on its own, has no legal authority. A UL listing for fuel pumps is only required in states or municipalities which have written such a requirement into their laws – so the group’s decision will affect E85 pumps in some, but not all, locations. In many cities and states this issue has already been addressed, and E85 fuel will continue to be available while UL studies the issue further.
“We also want to make it very clear that the UL decision did not come in response to any service problems or incidents,” Lamberty added. “The overwhelming majority of E85 pumps in use today are gas pumps converted for the alternative fuel, and in the decade or more since E85 has been sold, there have been no safety or maintenance issues with these pumps.”
On its own website, UL says: “To date there have been:
- • No documented reports of corrosion for UL Listed or Recognized components used with E85,
- • No field incidents related to UL Listed or Recognized components used with E85,
- • No reported safety issues associated with Listed or Recognized components used with E85.”
Along with the U.S. Department of Energy, UL is co-sponsoring an E85 Compatibility Technical Forum on November 12, 2006 to obtain additional advice to aid in the development of specifications for E85 pumps.
The American Coalition for Ethanol is a grassroots trade association for the U.S. ethanol industry with more than 1400 members nationwide. For more information, visit www.ethanol.org.
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is the grassroots voice of the U.S. ethanol industry, a national trade association for the ethanol industry with more than 1,200 members across 47 states, including farmers, ethanol producers, commodity organizations, businesses supplying goods and services to the ethanol industry, rural electric cooperatives, and individuals supportive of increased production and use of ethanol. For more information about ethanol or ACE, visit www.ethanol.org or call (605) 334-3381.
