Domestic Fuel

The Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA), Gateway International Raceway and Mustang 5.0 Magazine will sponsor an E85 Challenge at Gateway International Raceway, in Madison, Illinois on October 15. According to ICGA, this is the first national event of its kind will showcase street legal, production line built and custom made performance cars running on America’s fuel.

“The Challenge will show how flexible E85 is in today’s cars and shine a spotlight on how ethanol, known primarily for its environmental and economic contributions, is also a high octane product,” said Art Bunting, Illinois Corn Growers Association president.

“We are proud to host this event right here in Madison, IL and we are equally proud of all the American farmers for their significant contribution to renewable fuels for this event and for our country’s future.” said Lenny Batycki, of Gateway International Raceway.

The quarter mile track E85 Challenge will begin at 2:00 p.m. and plans to conclude by 4 p.m.

According to a press release from the Missouri Corn Growers Association, Missouri will soon be offering additional blends of ethanol at fueling pumps. A pilot program was announced allowing the sale of 10 – 85 percent ethanol fuel.

“This is an important step towards providing Missouri consumers with new energy options that can offer both economic savings and improved fuel mileage,” said Gary Clark, Missouri Corn Growers Association (MCGA) senior director of marketing. “Our goal is to work with MDA and fuel retailers across the state to make sure proper and workable measurement standards are established while helping install locations where consumers can benefit from these mid-range ethanol blends.”

A partnership between MCGA, Missouri Renewable Partners, Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) and the Missouri Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures Division are working together to implement this new program. LifeLine Foods-Ethanol Division in St. Joseph, Mo., has served as a representative from Missouri’s farmer-owned ethanol industry in this pilot. The program has been awarded a one-year permit and will then be reviewed by MDA for statewide implementation. All pilot locations must be approved through the MDA Weights and Measures Division and MCGA.

Currently, ethanol blends higher than 10 percent are only approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for FFVs.

Pacific Ethanol has announced the start-up of its Stockton, California facility. The Company will hold a grand opening ceremony for its second California ethanol plant on October 10.

“The start-up of our Stockton plant marks the achievement of our goal of 220 million gallons of annual production capacity and dramatically increases the availability of renewable fuels produced in the state of California. As the largest fuel market in the United States, California will benefit from locally produced ethanol and its feed co-products,” said Neil Koehler, Pacific Ethanol’s President and CEO.

The 60 million gallon per year Stockton facility is located at the Port of Stockton, with access to water, rail and road transportation. This San Joaquin Valley area is also home to over one million dairy cows, providing a ready local market for wet distiller’s grains and other ethanol co-products produced by the plant.

Pacific Ethanol is the largest West Coast-based marketer and producer of ethanol with plants in Madera and Stockton, Calif.; Boardman, Ore.; and Burley, Idaho.