Pumping problem: critics say E15 could make refueling harder

Is pumping gas about to get more complicated? Ethanol opponents worry it is.

The collection of strange-bedfellows (automakers, oil refiners, environmentalists, small engine makers, boaters) opposed to higher ethanol blends in gasoline welcomed the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement to delay approval of so-called E15 -- fuel that is 15 percent ethanol, 85 percent gasoline. Allowable levels of ethanol can't exceed 10 percent of the fuel currently. (Some pumps and specially designed cars can however handle E85, although the fuel isn't widely produced or distributed.)

Scott Faber, vice president for federal affairs at the Grocery Manufacturers Association, commended regulators for “recognizing that the current science is incomplete.”

But ethanol's critics also worried that EPA is setting up a “bifurcated” fueling system, in which consumers will have to make sure they are using the pumps with the right blend.

EPA said tests indicate vehicles model year 2001 or later can handle higher ethanol blends, although it is awaiting the results of additional tests. The agency also said it would also study how to label higher ethanol blends before making its final decision in June, hinting that the E10 standard might remain in place for older cars and boats and equipment powered by small engines.

Engine and boat manufacturers continue to believe higher ethanol blends damage their products and pose safety concerns. They want more tests on their products.

Idled chainsaws for example can spontaneously restart, Kris Kiser, the executive vice president of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, told reporters. He said higher ethanol blends were "phenomenally" dangerous.

Kate McMahon of Friends of the Earth said a bifurcated system "would undoubtably cause widespread confusion and misfueling."

Consumers are drawn to price, and may not pay attention to E15 or E10 labels, ethanol critics contend.

Ethanol backers say higher blends are safe. Growth Energy, a group of producers that petitioned EPA to allow higher blends, said raising the limit would boost the industry, creating jobs and reducing dependence on foreign oil.