Make Washington keep their word was a common mantra during the National Ethanol Conference last week. American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Executive Vice President Brian Jennings is going to help them do just that. Each March, ACE brings nearly 100 ethanol advocates to the Hill to meet with Legislative and key stakeholders to tell their stories about the benefits of ethanol. This year’s Biofuels Beltway March is just around the corner on March 26-27, 2014 in Washington, D.C.

This year, Jennings said they are doing something a bit different. They are asking retailers from different states who have successfully added the infrastructure or the equipment they need to sell E15, E85 or both, to join them. “So they will deliver the message straight from their own experiences that higher blends work. The RFS [Renewable Fuel Standard] works. We want to see you continue to fulfill what the program was intended to do,” said Jennings.

During the NEC conference, a spokesperson from Marathon said E85 won’t work and E15 is a nonstarter. When asked to respond to those comments, Jennings answered, “We added over 200 E85 sites in 2013 and it was based on price. So he is simply not correct when it come to E85. Retailers are looking at it and understanding better today than they ever have how to price E85 relative to straight gas or relative to E10 so the consumer keeps coming back and makes the choice that it works well in my FFV [flex fuel vehicle].”

In terms of E15, Jennings said he was referring to liability. But there are things ACE is working on along with others to erase liability concerns whether those are real or perceive. The other half of the battle and helping them understand the blending economics.

“I was disappointed to hear what the gentleman from Marathon say what he did about higher blends, but what’s going on on the ground, in the states defies the message he was trying to deliver about E85 and E15,” added Jennings.

Listen to Cindy’s interview with Brian Jennings: Interview with Brian Jennings, ACE

2014 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album