FUEL SUBSIDIES
RUN OUT OF GAS
But ethanol is here to stay
The crystalline waters
of the Bahamas beckon
from the deck of a dive
boat. Check out the world
underneath your boat
starting on page 48.
AFEDERAL SUBSIDY for etha- nol production, adopted 30 years ago, expired December 31 when Congress opted not o extend it. Ethanol currently is found in about 90 percent of
the total U.S. gasoline supply, nearly all
of that made from corn and blended into
fuels at 10 percent, giving motorists and
boaters alike what is commonly known as
E10 gasoline. The denatured grain-alcohol
component itself is not going away, however,
because federal law mandates that 36 billion
gallons of biofuels must be blended into
transportation fuels by 2022. While boaters
and boat-engine manufacturers have, for the
most part, adapted to E10 gasoline, last year
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
approved ethanol at 15 percent (E15) for
use in motor vehicles from 2001 and newer.
It expressly prohibits use of E15 in boat
engines, however, and boaters, particularly
those who fill up at gas stations, are warned
to check pump labels for ethanol content.
“Even though the subsidy ran dry, boaters need to keep a weather eye out for E15
in the future,” said BoatU.S. President
Margaret Podlich. “Independent tests have
shown that E15 can damage engines. Using
it in boats, even inadvertently, may void
manufacturers’ warranties.” Podlich added
that as Congress geared up earlier this
year, some fuels-industry groups advocated
expanding a federal subsidy for new pumps
and other apparatus to handle higher ethanol blends, which can be very corrosive to
distribution equipment. An alternative to
ethanol, isobutanol, in research and development stages, shows promise for use in
boat gasoline. See this story online to read
Ryck Lydecker’s award-winning “Alcohol
And Boat Engines, Is There Another Way?”
www.BoatUS.com/Magazine — R.L.
