Friday, August 12, 2011 NAFA Urges EPA To Reconsider E15 Waiver Decision
 The latest fight NAFA is undertaking on behalf of its members involves a waiver allowing gasoline blends of up to fifteen percent ethanol (E15) to be used on cars and trucks of model year 2001 and later. NAFA is concerned that the use of E15 may cause significant damage to fleet vehicles and lead to substantial costs throughout the industry.
Over the past year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued two partial waivers under the Clean Air Act that in sum allow E15 to be sold for use in model year 2001 and newer cars and light trucks.
In a letter sent to Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator, NAFA urged the agency to reconsider the waiver.
“The waiver for E15 jeopardizes the billions of dollars that fleets have invested in vehicles and engines used to carry out the mission of private and public sector fleets throughout the country," wrote NAFA’s Executive Director Phil Russo.
“We take very seriously the statements of vehicle and engine manufacturers that E15 will damage engines, void warranties, and reduce fuel efficiency," Russo continued. “We do not understand the ‘rush to judgment’ based on a single set of Department of Energy tests that did not consider the effect that E15 would actually have on engines and costs.”
Fleet managers, who are a major consumer of vehicles and engines, are concerned with the potential impact for both light-duty engines as well as non-covered engines including engine failure, corrosion, materials incompatibility, catalyst degradation, water-in-fuel and phase separation, higher exhaust temperatures, increased pollution emissions, and reduced useful life of the vehicle or engine.
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