A move by the nation's largest product-safety laboratory to remove its approval of ethanol fuel pumps has frozen the rollout of new ethanol stations and cast doubt on the legal status of the roughly 1,000 stations already selling E85 fuel. (Full story here)
Without certification from Underwriters Laboratories, the company that tests thousands of products for safety and manages the "UL" symbol, state officials and ethanol industry executives say E85 pumps may run afoul of state and local fire codes that require "listed" equipment for pumping fuel. A fire marshal in Columbus, Ohio, ordered two E85 pumps shut down last week because of a lack of UL approval and Michigan officials are wrestling with the question as well.
UL's decision applies only to pumps that sell fuels containing more than 15% ethanol. Stores that offer E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, are "allowed to sell it until they're told not to," said Michelle Kautz, a spokeswoman for the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. She said she was unaware of any being ordered to shut down outside the two in Columbus.Source: www.e85fuel.com
