So far, at least, it appears that the alternative fuel for the present and immediate future is ethanol. The government has passed a law calling for a certain amount of ethanol to be blended with gasoline and as a result we are getting E85 among other blends. E85 is 85 percent ethanol and 25 percent gasoline.
As ethanol production grows we have noticed that the infrastructure needed to distribute it has been lacking. Well, in recent months it has gotten a little better.
According to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, there are now 1,802 private and public refueling stations that offer E85. The group also said that the number of facilities have grown 28 percent since just last October. The public can fuel at 1,693 of the 1,802 stations.
The most stations offering E85 are in Minnesota — 357. Illinois is second with 188 and Missouri follows with 112. Believe it or not, there are seven states that don’t offer ethanol at all. They are Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Alaska and Hawaii. It seems funny to me that the New England states do not have E85 stations. I equate that region of the country as being “green.” Seeing that Hawaii doesn’t offer ethanol also surprises me. The price of gasoline must be through the roof in Hawaii if for no other reason then getting the gasoline to the islands. In the meantime, Hawaii has feedstock that can be used to produce ethanol. So where is it?
Still, there has been a spike in the number of stations around the country that offers it. And a jump of 28 percent in just one year is encouraging. The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition also noted that federal income tax credits have helped to stimulate the growth of ethanol fueling stations. Moreover, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 has encouraged franchise operators to create E85 fueling stations. The Energy Independence and Security Act also makes available $200 million to help expand the number of E85 stations around the country.
One more comment. It seems that the growth of the infrastructure that distributes ethanol can only be achieved with some sort of government encouragement. The Republican mantra that government is the problem certainly does not apply here.
Most Active