Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota hosted a meeting Monday with government and ethanol industry leaders to discuss new ways to market ethanol in the state.
According to an AP report from Fargo, some are suggesting the approval of blender pumps.
Many drivers have been scared away by lower fuel efficiency and reports that cars with E-85 start poorly in the winter, said Owen Jones, a Britton, S.D., ethanol producer. He said a blender pump would allow consumers to use a more economical 20 or 30 percent blend and work their way up to E-85.
“If you’re looking at E-85 sales, you really need to look hard a blender pump,” Jones said.
Federal law prohibits the promotion and production of blends other than E-10 or E-85, said Jocie Iszler, executive director of the North Dakota Corn Growers.
“We think the blender pump concept is a common sense approach,” Iszler said. “It’s up to the federal government to test and validate what we already know is true.”
An Iowa-technology company released a report last week that is fueling debate over whether ethanol plants should be powered by coal or natural gas, or something else. 
A recent pledge by the nation’s top automakers to produce more E85 vehicles is great news for the industry, according to the 
Former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson is considering a presidential bid while he serves as chairman on the board of a new ethanol plant.
For a third year, the biodiesel industry has chosen farmer-leader Darryl Brinkmann to lead the 
Bigger, stronger soybeans could help meet the demand for cellulosic material to produce ethanol.