The American Coalition for Ethanol 9th annual DC fly-in last week brought the “Power by People” message to Capitol Hill, focused on allowing the sale of 15 percent ethanol blends all year long in every part of the country.
Over 70 participants in the fly-in had more than 120 meetings on the Hill encouraging co-sponsorship of bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the House and Senate (S. 517, H.R. 1311) to extend Reid vapor pressure (RVP) relief to E15 to allow its use year-round. “You’re talking about two-thirds of the country that can’t use it during the busiest time of the year, June 1 through September 15,” said ACE Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty.
Several retailers once again attended the fly-in, including representatives from Jetz Convenience Centers, Cresco Fast Stop, Midway Service, Good and Quick, Sheetz, and Propel Fuels, and they provided lawmakers with real-life examples of the importance of RVP regulatory relief. “The whole idea of this Power by People fly-in is to have regular people who are doing these actual jobs (take part),” Lamberty said.
In this interview, Lamberty also talks about how the USDA Biofuel Infrastructure Program has helped increase the number of stations offering E15 nationwide. Interview with Ron Lamberty, ACE senior vice president