Preventing year-round sales of 15% ethanol (E15) is among the priorities of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) meeting this week in Washington DC.
This is despite the fact that E15 is not approved for use in marine engines, and the organization itself supports an industry “Look Before You Pump” ethanol educational campaign that accurately states ethanol blends up to E10 are perfectly safe for boat engines. NMMA insists that E15 is “a dangerous risk to boater safety and boating performance” that poses a “threat to 142 million boaters.” They claim that expanding sales of E15 “would mean more ethanol and fewer choices for boaters at the gas pump.”
National Corn Growers Association president Kevin Skunes says NMMA’s complaints about E15 are misleading, at best. “Allowing the sale of E15 year-round doesn’t mean E10 fuel won’t be available; it simply means drivers on the road will have more options at the pump,” said Skunes.
NCGA and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) sponsor the Crappie Masters Fishing Tournament, which promotes the use of E10 for recreational boating while educating that higher blends are not approved – and giving boaters credit for being smart enough to make the right choice.
In an op-ed published in The Hill Wednesday, former Minnesota Corn Growers Association executive director Tim Gerlach tells his story of how living on an island near the Canadian border makes reliable fuel vital.
“My family has used 10-percent ethanol (E10), 87-octane gasoline in all of our small engines since the late 1970s,” says Gerlach. That includes boat motors, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, generators, and even chainsaws.