Analysis: Continued Demand for E85 in Wisconsin
Monday, March 9, 2015
BROOKFIELD, Wis. – Demand for E85 and other alternative and renewable fuels such as bio-diesel will continue strong at least through 2023, according to an analysis from the Fuels Institute.
The analysis is good news for air quality in the state, according to Danielle Clark, coordinator of the Clean Fuels and Vehicle Technologies Program for the American Lung Association in Wisconsin.
She says using alternative fuels makes for much cleaner air through lower toxic emissions. It's also good for farmers. The corn used to make ethanol is not the corn we eat as food, but produces multiple other important consumer products.
"With the ethanol production you get two different – and sometimes three different – products,” she adds. “You get ethanol, you get distiller's grain, which is livestock feed, and you get corn oil.
“We're also using corn oil for bio-diesel production, which you can use in any diesel engine."
In addition to helping enable cleaner and more breathable air, Clark stresses this also represents a huge economic force, because the ethanol industry contributes $53 billion to the nation's annual Gross Domestic Product.
According to Clark, there are still challenges facing the growth of E85 use in Wisconsin.
She says many owners of flex-fuel vehicles may not realize their car's engine is made to run on E85. And while many flex-fuel vehicles are clearly marked as such by the manufacturer, the best way to make sure a vehicle can run on E85 is to look for a yellow gas filler cap or a yellow ring around the fuel-filling pipe.
Clark points out a single flex-fuel driver in Wisconsin can make a huge difference in the air we breathe.
"By using E85 in their flex-fuel vehicle, they can help on an annual basis by preventing four tons of CO2 from entering the air,” she states. “E85 instead of petroleum-based fuels can reduce ozone-forming tailpipe and evaporative emissions, as well as air toxins and greenhouse gases."
Clark also says that the money spent to make and use ethanol and other alternative fuels stays right here in the United States.
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