Another E-15 warning!

The pumps in this photo show gasoline priced at 28 cents per gallon. Remember when?

 Yet another warning about the use of E-15 fuels in marine engines came in over the transom late last night. This one from the folks at the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. They put an interesting safety spin on their warning. Thinking about the content of their announcement, I realized that this E-15 thing will effect many millions of trailerable boat owners from around the country. Combine that thought with the unrest in the middle east and the already rising gasoline costs here in the US, and I'm beginning to wonder about the strength of any potential powerboat market recovery this year...just thinking out loud here.... Here's the press release:

WASHINGTON – Boaters who fuel their boats from the same pumps as their vehicle may be at risk of unknowingly or mistakenly putting 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline into an engine for which E15 has not been approved.

Only one small label is required on the pump to warn boaters of the 50 percent increase in ethanol. The Coast Guard Auxiliary recommends only fueling boats from tanks at marinas.

On January 21, 2011 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted a waiver that allows the percentage of ethanol in the nation's gasoline supply to jump from 10% (E10) to 15% (E15) to be sold only for cars, SUVs and light-duty trucks made in 2001 through 2006. This decision comes on the heels of an October 13^th decision to waive the limitations for so-called E15 for model-year 2007 and newer cars and light-duty trucks. This EPA waiver does not permit use of the higher alcohol content fuel in lawnmowers, chainsaws, snowmobiles, motorcycles or boats.

NEWS from BoatUS, February 7, 2011 issue states that many components on a boat come in contact with ethanol-laden gasoline, including fuel lines, fuel tanks, fuel pumps, fuel injectors, carburetors, pressure regulators, valves, o-rings, and gaskets. The compatibility of these components with any blend greater than E10 is currently unknown. The failure of only one of these components in your engine could lead to failure or, worse, a fire or explosion.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is a uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard created by an Act of Congress in 1939. The Auxiliary, America’s Volunteer Guardians, supports the Coast Guard in nearly all of the service’s missions.

Check out that last sentence above. I love it when one government agency shares real world concerns with another and there is an intelligent response...............(not)?

Just remember folks, there is absolutely no scientific proof that the use of ethanol is doing anything to clean anything up or minimize the use of overseas provided petroleum. Its a subsidy for American corn farmers and that's it! (Sorry if you are a corn farmer, but hey couldn't you make a living feeding the impoverished areas of the world instead?)