marine industry professionals
E15 comment period ends today
Today is the last day of the comment period on the petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requesting a waiver to allow ethanol gasoline blends of up to 15 percent.
The comment period was slated to end May 21, but the additional time allowed boaters, marine industry employees and other concerned parties more time to submit comments to the EPA.
Growth Energy, a pro-ethanol lobby, is the group that requested the waiver.
The National Marine Manufacturers Association, and other industry stakeholders, have called for a science-based review of the request by the EPA in order to ensure that increased levels of ethanol would not harm boats, marine engines and other affected equipment.
The EPA has said it is required to make a decision by Dec. 1.
Click here to submit a comment to the EPA.
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Stop the craziness .... ethanol is a misguided, wasteful, failed, feel-good experiment. Face it.
Ethanol consumes more energy to produce that it is capable of providing as a finished product. It is a thermal net negative.
Fuel economy is reduced in engines using it, even in concentrations as low as E-10, often reduced by as much as 20%. This is true for land based engines as well as marine engines. Older marine engines are still being damaged, and sometimes just plain destroyed, by it. Even if not damaged, performance is reduced - across the board.
It requires dedication of cropland that should be producing food for people and livestock, and it requires massive quantities of irregation in the growing.
The direct cost of food, including meats, milk, eggs, grains, veggies, plus their delivey costs are increased by the very exiesence of ethanol.
E-15 can only make matters worse, not better. This makes no more sense than trying to spend our way out of the recession, drink our way sober, or eat our way thin. Wake up people ! !
A marina on a local lake got a tank of E-85 mixed into his shore side marine pump. The resalts were about 10 boats quit running in just a few minutes and would not restart had to be towed back to shore. I have had to replace the neddle & seat twice last year in my Johnson carb after only a few hours of running regular pump gas E10. I talked to severial other dealers and service people and they all told me about the current E10 ethanol ploblems it is what is causing the tips of the inlet needle to swell and stick you can remove it for a couple of hours then put them back in and it will work for a short time. Fuel line on outboards are getting hard from the current fuel what will E15 do ?. What about the damage its doing to the outboard motor main bearing seals
Lets keep the gas clean of ethanol we don't need the damage it dose to motors,fuel lines, fuel tanks.
hello,
I would like to take the time to go into details but I am too busy explaining to my customers why there outboards do not work as well (or at all) as they did 3 weeks ago. The ethanol additive has had a detriemtnatl effect on antique boats, (namely gas tanks, fuel systems and engines) as well as the small carburated o/b engines. If adding ethanol, find a suitable stabilizer to add to offroad fuel as well.
Gotta go.
Louis Grignon
I'd fully expect that the EPA working group recommendations will be followed.
The E-interests have not solved pollution, performance and economic issues.
As a naval architect, and the owner of a boat that is twently years old, it is not only imperative for the EPA to reject ethanol gasoline blends up to 15%, but it should be required by the federal government that fuel suppliers continue to provide pure gasoline to marinas and fuel docks.
I have repeatedly seen and experienced the problems surrounding ethanol blended fuels in marine applications all too often. The ethanol causes the seals and gaskets of older engines to dissolve, resulting in the leakage of fuel, both into the boat which is not only extremely dangerous, but also into the exhasut system which intern ends up in the atmosphere and waterways. Furthermore, the leakage requires the fuel to be cleaned up and disposed of properly, which not only doesn't always happen (usually ending up in the local garbage can and trahs dump). Ethanol also causes the varnish and residues held internally within engines to release. These foul the engines further causing them to loose efficiency, causing them to burn and bleed more fuel into the envirionment.
Fuethermore, the fuel leaks caused are inherently extremely dangerous and can be catastrophic!
Boats are not like cars which refuel weekly, and many with internal fuel tanks carry large fuel capacities which always stand for long periods of time. This causes the water in the fuel to separate and to sink to the bottom of the tank where the engine fuel pick-up is. This results in the water being pulled into the engine, doing damage and resulting in less efficient engine operation, thus causing more unburnt fuel and oil to be emitted in the exhaust.
Additionally, some boats that have built in fiberglass tanks are having the ethanol attack the resin used in the tank cosntruction compromising the integrity of the tanks.
More ethanol, much less any ethanol in marine fuel just doesn't make sense for the sake of the environment or for the food materials (corn) that we use unwisely.
As members of the marine industry, we implore the EPA to heed the warnings and advice of experts in the industry when making your ethanol recommendations. We are aware of the need for energy inititatives, but NOT at the expenses--literally--of current boat owners. The problems caused by ethanol in marine engines are real and are costing customers of an already beleaguered industry more money than they have to spend on repairs. This will only further discourage people from boating at a time when we definitely need them to be enjoying their boats as often as possible.
The industry will be proactive in working with you on alternatives--we are fortunate to have a good representation within your realm. Thank you for your consideration.
Ethanol is also bad for my aircraft engine as I burn autogas I have to buy fuel at gas stations that still have ethanol free fuel.
Please do not deny the public the opportunity to purchase ethanol free fuel.
Regards, Tom Flanagan