"Changes to Fuel Rules Coming"

Thus read the headline to a small article buried at the bottom right-hand corner of page 7 in the national section of the morning newspaper. The gist of that article was this: Seems the biofuel law adopted in 2007 isn't working as well as expected. As a result, the Obama administration has proposed a change that would reduce, by almost 3 billion gallons, the amounts of ethanol and other biofuels blended into gasoline in 2014.

It's no secret that many industry and interest groups, including powersports and marine manufacturers, have spent significant effort opposing the standards, while simultaneously arguing that the high-ethanol fuels will damage small engines, void warranties, and confuse consumers along the way. A spokesman for the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) commended the EPA for its temporary action and noted that the NMMA and boating-industry partners remain committed to exploring alternative biofuels, including isobutanol, which can be derived from corn.

"We have serious well-documented data-driven concerns with safety of high ethanol fuel blends, which have proven to cause damage in marine engines," said the NMMA spokesman. "This damage puts consumers at risk, and it hurts manufacturers during this important time of economic recovery."

Some feel the move to reduce the ethanol numbers in 2014 will help stall the introduction of E15 into the marketplace, which is a major concern because of its potential harm if accidentally used to fuel motorcycles and outboards.

In the course of looking into some additional facts related to this story, I learned that, in June 2013, the governor of Florida signed a bill, nullifying the state's 2008 Renewable Fuel Standard Act and, thus, removing the requirement that all gasoline sold in the state contain 10 percent ethanol. Service stations there now have the option to decide whether they want to sell fuel that contains ethanol.

And looking a bit further, I found this website: http://www.buyrealgas.com/, which shows listings in all states of stations where you reportedly still can find ethanol-free fuel. Check it out for yourself.