Partial Waiver For E15 Could Come In September

There is an interesting article on NACS Online on the possibility of the EPA granting a partial waiver for the use of E15 in 2007 and newer vehicles in September. The article also says that a decision on 2001 and newer vehicles could come in November.

On July 1, Gina McCarthy, the agency’s assistant administrator for air and radiation, told attendees at a future of renewable energy conference that the EPA waiver could be granted in September.

“Now I will tell you that we are very confident, because of the way newer vehicles are constructed and engineered, that E15 will be amenable for use in newer vehicles,” she said. “As the vehicle gets older, we have less certainty about the use of E15.”

Results from E15 testing by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on model year 2007 cars will be finished by mid-September, which will let EPA make a ruling on those vehicles. A decision on E15 in model year 2001 and newer vehicles will likely be forthcoming by Nov. 30, as DOE testing on those vehicles will be finished by then.

“We are very confident that in November, we can make a waiver decision on the use of E15 in those vehicles as well,” said McCarthy. “We are very positive about the outlook, but we're waiting for that data to come forward.”

Read the whole article here.