E15 Battle Moves to Court

The plans the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has to set the basis for the adoption of E15 fuel across the US are currently being blocked by a group of engine makers who try to put an end to this plan.

A group which comprises several organizations and companies, which includes the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, the National Marine Manufacturers Association and the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, have filed a suit in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, asking for the E15 decision to be rejected.

“It is clear that the E.P.A. has not fulfilled its statutory obligations to ensure the safe introduction of E15,’’ Thom Dammrich, head of the marine manufacturers’ group was quoted as saying by The New York Times.

According to The New York Times, the group claims the EPA has not taken into consideration all the effects such a decision might have on the components of engines. Whereas ethanol producers support the implementation of a 15-percent blend in the fuels to be used in engines manufactured after 2007, engine manufacturers say the increased ethanol blend is a problem for both cars and for fuel pumps.

The EPA still has no clear idea how some engines might be affected by the new blend of ethanol and regular fuel. Despite what was supposed to be rigorous testing, the effects of such a mix on engines manufactured in between 2001 and 2006 is still not clear. A decision on the matter is expected sometime in the near future.