E15 opponents charge that Growth Energy “cherry-picked the data”; Growth Energy denies; is E15 data conclusive?

In Washington, the fight over E15 ethanol approval continues, with opponents of E15 using the same “inconclusive data” argument that the ethanol industry is using against indirect land use change arguments advanced by environmentalists aiming to derail corn ethanol altogether.

In March, the Growth Energy trade group along with 54 allied ethanol producers requested the EPA to allow up to fifteen percent ethanol content in fuel used by non flex-fuel vehicles. The New York Times is reporting on the dispute between the first-gen ethanol industry and the Center for Auto Safety, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, and the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, among others, who say that more testing is needed to prove that vehicles would not be damaged by higher concentrations of ethanol.

In a follow-up report in the Times, Kris Kiser, executive vice president of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, said that Growth Energy “cherry-picked the data” in preparing a summary for the EPA that ignored unfavorable results from tests at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which contained reports that some vehicles ran hotter or stalled on E15.

Growth Energy has denied any intention to mislead, and pointed out that full ORNL and NREL reports were included in their packets. Ford Motors is also expressing dismay over what it says is a misinterpretation by Growth Energy of Ford’s position on E15. The car maker has said it “ endorses efforts to increase base-level blends up to E15,”  but stopped short of saying that it believes that the case for E15 has ben made at this time, while Growth Energy has cited “Ford’s endorsement of blends up to E15,” in its waiver request letter to the EPA.

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