Prevent E15-related engine damage

Published 05/17/2016 | By Roger Joseph

Bipartisan congressional letter aims to prevent E15-related engine damage

Urge your representative to sign before the deadline, May 27!

https://cqrcengage.com/amacycle/app/write-a-letter?2&engagementId=206613

U.S. Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Bill Flores (R-Texas), Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Steve Womack (R-Ark.) are taking the lead by sending a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to “…express concern about the lack of consumer awareness surrounding the inappropriate use of E15 gasoline and… how it [the EPA] plans to mitigate consumer misfuelings… .”

The bipartisan letter comes in response to the EPA’s Renewable Volume Obligations rule for 2014, 2015 and 2016. The EPA proposal would increase the amount of ethanol from all sources in the nation’s fuel supply to 17.4 billion gallons in 2016, up from 15.93 billion gallons in 2014.

Those increases come despite the EPA’s acknowledgement that the current market cannot absorb these higher ethanol production rates without substantially increasing the amount of ethanol in our nation’s gasoline supply. The practical effect of the EPA’s action is more unsafe E15 (15 percent ethanol by volume), less E10 and virtually no E0 for older and vintage machines.

As the American Motorcyclist Association has repeatedly warned, more E15 will inevitably lead to inadvertent misfueling, which can damage motorcycle and all-terrain-vehicle fuel systems and engines not designed for its use. Moreover, the use of E15 may void the manufacturer’s warranty.

With a high probability of inadvertent misfueling, the letter urges the EPA to “…act to raise consumer awareness of the consequences of misfueling with E15.” Currently, the effort to bring awareness is left up to the AMA and other consumer-oriented and industry groups.

The urgency of EPA action to address misfueling is supported by a recent study from the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute. The study indicates only five percent of consumers are aware that E15 is prohibited for use in certain engines and that 60 percent of consumers assume that any gas sold at a pump must be safe for all of their engines.

This letter would help protect the 22 million motorcycles and ATVs currently in operation and the riders who depend on their safe operation.

The deadline for signatures is Friday, May 27! Act today to ensure your representative signs the Goodlatte/Welch/Flores/Costa/Womack letter.

To urge your representative to sign on to the bipartisan letter, just follow the “Take Action” option, which will send a prewritten email directly to your lawmaker demanding access to safe fuel.

Now more than ever, it is crucial that you and your riding friends become members of the AMA to help protect our riding freedoms. More members mean more clout against the opponents of motorcycling. That support will help fight for your rights – on the road, trail, racetrack, and in the halls of government. If you are a motorcycle rider, join the AMA at www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join

CLICK HERE: To write your representative to sign before the deadline, May 27!

https://cqrcengage.com/amacycle/app/write-a-letter?2&engagementId=206613