https://cqrcengage.com/amacycle/app/write-a-letter?8&engagementId=200213U.S. Reps. Bill Flores (R-Texas), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Steve Womack (R-Ark.) and Cedric Richmond (D-La.) introduced H.R. 5180, the “Food and Fuel Consumer Protection Act of 2016” today. The American Motorcyclist Association supports this bill.
The bipartisan legislation would cap mandated ethanol content in the nation’s fuel supply at 9.7 percent and institute a provision that automatically reverts the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s annual Renewable Volume Obligations to the previous year’s percentage if the EPA misses its Nov. 30 deadline. And, finally, the bill would ensure commercially available cellulosic and advanced ethanol has a place under the 9.7 percent cap.
In other words, the bill would stop the federal government from forcing E15 fuel (15 percent ethanol by volume) into the market. Capping the ethanol mandate helps ensure the availability of safe fuels like E10 and a continuing place in the market for ethanol-free gasoline (E0) for older motorcycles. This is important, because the last RVO rule issued by the EPA decreased the E0 supply to just 130 million gallons from 9.2 billion gallons in 2016, despite the fact that the demand for E0 doubled.
The current ethanol mandate is already having a deleterious effect on consumers. On May 8, the South Carolina Dept. of Agriculture’s Consumer Protection Division announced the state will no longer sell premium ethanol-free gasoline due to a “supply issue.”
None of the estimated 22 million motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles in use in the United States is certified by the EPA to operate on fuel containing more than 10 percent ethanol. Inadvertent use of E15 in vehicles not designed for its use can damage fuel system and engine components and void manufacturer’s warranties.
Tell your representative to support H.R. 5180. Send a prewritten message by clicking the “Take Action” link.
