The availability of E15 is off to a slow start, and some retailers say it will stay that way, even though ethanol groups are pushing for wider usage, the Wall Street Journal reports. The blend is available at several stations in Kansas and Iowa, while Illinois, Nebraska, and South Dakota have said it could be sold there as well.
However, many gasoline stations are adopting a wait-and-see attitude, expressing concerns over the effect E15 would have on older cars. With the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) only approving E15 for vehicles with a model year of 2001 and later, retailers are worried about consumers accidentally using the wrong fuel.
Even some automakers have not embraced E15 for post-2001 models, although Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. have said the fuel could be used for model year 2013 vehicles.
In August, the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit dismissed the challenges brought forth by trade associations representing automakers, refiners, and other industries on the EPA’s E15 waiver, saying that the groups did not have a legal right to challenge the EPA decision. (NACS: www.nacsonline.com)
