On Monday, July 28, at 1pm at Chicago City Hall a hearing will be held to debate legislation supported by Chicago City Council Alderman that would require all self-serve gas stations in the City of Chicago to sell gasoline with higher levels – 15% – of ethanol (E15). It is against federal law to use E15 gasoline in a boat and using this ethanol blend could lead to significant damage to the engine.
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) urges Chicago area boaters to speak out against this proposal, as the half-million member national boat owners group believes the legislation would have an unintended consequence of making boat engine-approved E10 fuel harder to find for consumers, as self-serve stations would not be required to add expensive new fueling pumps to offer an additional consumer choice of E15. Instead, the legislation may force stations with limited gas pump selections to replace their current E10 dispensing selection with E15 to meet the mandate. While BoatUS appreciates the need to diversify our country’s fuel and energy sources, passage of this legislation would also greatly increase the chance of mis-fueling boats on trailers, which are often filled up at the same time as the tow vehicle.
It will be at City of Chicago City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60602.
City of Chicago resident boaters are encouraged to attend the hearing Monday or may contact their Alderman to share their views by going to:
http://capwiz.com/boatus/issues/alert/?alertid=63284821&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id
More information on how E15 affects outboard engines can be found at National Renewable Energy Laboratory Outboard Study. Additional information about ethanol and boats is at BoatUS.com/seaworthy/ethanol.
