Fri, Feb 27, 2004
Wisconsin Assembly Proposed End to Labeling at Gas
Pumps
The EAA reports that it
recently worked with the Wisconsin Ethanol Producers to help craft
a compromise bill that ensures retail gas stations continue to
inform customers of their use of gasoline with ethanol additives.
As noted on the EAA website, State Assembly Bill 675 seeks to
remove a requirement that gas stations label their pumps with the
percentage of ethanol, unless the device dispenses reformulated
gasoline at an airport for use as aircraft fuel. EAA, which holds a
series of FAA supplemental type certificates (STC) that provide the
right to allow aircraft owners to use auto fuels, argued that clear
labeling was needed regarding ethanol in automotive gasolines for
flight safety reasons.
"All of the current automotive gasoline STCs specifically
exclude any gasoline that contains ethanol," said Earl Lawrence,
EAA vice president of regulatory & industry affairs. "Most auto
fuel used in aircraft is purchased at a local service station, not
at an airport. And most users of automotive gasoline purchase their
fuel from only one station, a station that they learn from
experience provides a safe fuel for their aircraft. Under the
original proposed legislation, stations could switch to an ethanol
blend gasoline without the knowledge of the aircraft owner, or any
consumers."
The compromise language
proposed by EAA and agreed to by WEP reads: "A retail dealer of
petroleum products shall post in a conspicuous place and in a
conspicuous manner on or near the entrance to the filling station,
garage, or other place where the petroleum products are being
offered for sale a notice stating, for each device that dispenses
petroleum products, whether the device dispenses a gasoline-ethanol
fuel blend and the grade of the petroleum product being
dispensed."
Since aircraft first started to use automotive gasoline (1982),
there have been many changes to the formulation of the fuels,
requiring EAA to continually track the fuel formulations and test
to ensure safety in aircraft use. EAA has tested many different
blends of fuels over the years, most recently the oxygenate
additives, ETBE, MTBE and Ethanol. FAA's Technical Research Center,
Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the Cessna Aircraft Corporation have
also conducted parallel independent tests on oxygenated fuels. In
all of these tests it has been found that automotive fuels
oxygenated with ethanol are not compatible with aircraft use.
Multiple issues with gasolines oxygenated with ethanol in aircraft
use include vapor lock and material compatibility issues.
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