Nebraska Corn Board trying to get more people to use ethanol

Corn Board says E-15 is cheaper and better for the environment than lower blends

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – May has been declared “Renewable Fuel Month” in Nebraska, and the state Corn Board is trying to educate people about the benefits of renewable fuel.

For gasoline-powered cars, there are two renewable fuels: E-15 and E-85, also known as Flex Fuel.

E-15 is a gasoline blend with 15% ethanol in it.

Here in Lincoln, there are only a few places that sell it. One of those places is the U-Stop near Pine Lake Road and Highway 2.

It’s 5 cents cheaper than the 10% ethanol blend (labeled “plus” at gas stations), and the Corn Board said it’s better for the environment.

Executive Director Kelly Brunkhorst said not every car can use that fuel, but the vast majority can.

“Consumers that own vehicles 2001 and newer can utilize E-15 in those vehicles,” he said.

Brunkhorst said the benefit of E-15 goes beyond financial: It’s also of higher quality and makes for cleaner air.

Using gas with higher ethanol blends can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 46%, according to the Corn Board.

But even with all of those benefits, it can be hard to find those fuels in Lincoln.

Mark Whitehead, president of Whitehead Oil, theorizes that some of that comes from poor marketing.

“One of the things that they do in terms of advertising, in terms of convincing people to use it, is the mantra that it works just fine in your car, and it works as good as an unleaded, when the engine is designed to run on a regular unleaded,” he said. “Some people are saying, ‘Why take that risk?'”

Whitehead also said many of the gas stations in Lincoln don’t have the infrastructure needed to add E-15 and E-85.

He said that when he is building new U-Stop locations, they will be adding the infrastructure needed to offer those fuels.

Whitehead said he likes to use E-15 in his vehicle because it works well in his car and it’s cheaper.

Plus, it helps Nebraska corn producers.

Brunkhorst said, “40-50% of our corn goes into the ethanol industry here in the state of Nebraska, and so there’s that economic value that demand creates.”

In Nebraska, there are 25 ethanol plants, which means that the positive economic impacts of ethanol are not limited to corn producers.

“You talk about the economic footprint and the economics that [ethanol] facility brings to the local economy in taxes, in jobs, and that just continues to multiply through the local economy and the state economy,” Brunkhorst said.

While there are other alternative fuels like E-85 on the market, the only fuel safe for the majority of cars made after 2001 is E-15.

Mechanics and car professionals say not to use E-85 unless your owner’s manual says it’s safe.  They say using that fuel in a car not designed for it can hurt the vehicle.