 If your parts and service customer base includes recreational boaters, they could be setting a course toward an expensive repair bill if an ethanol blend exceeding 10 percent is pumped into an outboard motor’s fuel system. Ethanol can also sink smaller engines geared for other applications, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), which is lobbying heavily in support of bipartisan legislation introduced in September before the U.S. Senate. The Mid-Level Ethanol Blends Act of 2009, Senate Bill 1666, is designed to stymie the ethanol industry’s efforts to obtain permission from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to sell an E15 ethanol blend as an acceptable general purpose motor fuel. Boating industry advocates contend that anything above E10 can cause permanent damage to engines along with degrading fiberglass fuel tanks. Other performance problems can float to the surface as well, particularly with older watercraft. The situation is further aggravated when gasoline containing ethanol is left in a moisture-prone vented fuel tank for an extended period of time – a common practice among marine enthusiasts who may wait weeks or months before shoving off for their next cruise. S.B. 1666 would ensure that “new fuels introduced into the marketplace are compatible with the inventory of on-road and non-road gasoline engines, including boat engines, currently in use.” The measure requires the EPA’s Science Advisory Board to conduct a comprehensive analysis of independent scientific evidence concerning ethanol’s compatibility with current engine engineering standards before a waiver allowing E15 sales can be granted. “During these difficult economic times, equipment damage due to ethanol-gasoline fuel blends only adds to the many challenges facing our nation’s farmers, fishermen, independent woodsmen and recreational industry,” says Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine. “As we pursue strategies to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, we must also take action to ensure that ethanol fuel blends are safe and efficient for small engines.” Other sponsors include Democratic senators Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Ben Cardin from Maryland and Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu. “Ethanol simply burns differently than gasoline,” says Cardin, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “I fully support the development of biofuels to help cure the U.S. of its dependence on foreign oil, but we need to make such a transition in a way that helps, not hurts, commercial and recreational equipment, as well as the environment,” Cardin continues. “We need to let good science guide us in making sure that we are getting the clean air benefits and engine performance that boaters, lawn care companies and others who rely on smaller engines deserve,” he adds. “No recreational marine engines, fuel systems or boats are currently designed, calibrated, certified or warranted to run on any fuel with more than 10 percent ethanol,” reports NMMA President Thom Dammrich. “This legislation validates a science-first approach to ethanol policy and shines the spotlight on the myriad of issues associated with hasty attempts by ethanol advocates to introduce mid-level ethanol blends into the marketplace.” Recreational boat warranty documents and manufacturer owner’s manuals currently advise skippers not to use gasoline containing more than 10 percent ethanol, generating concerns that the use of E15 in marine engines could void engine warranties while damaging the motors and fuel systems. “Blends of gasoline with higher concentrations of ethanol burn hotter than other blends of gasoline, and small devices – grass trimmers, chainsaws, etcetera – using these fuels have unexpectedly shifted into gear, putting their operators at risk of personal injury,” says Dammrich. “Additionally, fiberglass tanks designed to handle gasoline have suffered from early failure as a result of exposure to the more corrosive ethanol blends.” According to an advisory issued by the Marine Retailers Association of America (MRAA), “Fuel hoses and seals are being damaged by the alcohol in the blend. The tank’s reaction creates a sludge that fouls fuel systems. Carburetors choke and the engine dies. The fuel also creates more water separation problems, leading to more fuel filter sales. The boat owner could face thousands of dollars of work to get a boat on the water. A tank conversion on an older boat could cost $6,000 or more and a carburetor job runs $250 to $300.” “This is not about growing renewable energy; this is really about a group of investors attempting to profit at the expense of 13 million recreational boat owners,” asserts Mathew Dunn, the NMMA’s legislative director. “We had significant problems with the nationwide rollout of E10 a few years ago, and without further independent testing of E15 with marine engines we are very likely to see similar issues,” says Dunn, referring to ethanol’s ability to attract water into gasoline or “phase separate” – which has led to boat engine failures and major repairs or replacements. “If the ethanol lobby’s petition is approved, it would also affect other gasoline-powered products,” he maintains. “There are an estimated 500 million gasoline powered engines in the U.S., from boats and autos to chainsaws, lawn mowers and ATVs, so this issue not only severely impacts the recreational boating industry but many others as well,” Dunn adds. “We have a very simple position on this matter: Science – not politics – should ultimately determine EPA’s decision on whether to allow the sale of any increased ethanol blend that’s more than 10 percent. At present, it is clear there is insufficient scientific and technical data to justify granting the increase, and EPA should therefore deny it outright,” he says. The text of the Mid-Level Ethanol Blends Act of 2009is available here: For more information, visit www.nmma.org and www.mraa.com. | ||
