February 16, 2010
General Motors: We Need More Ethanol Fueling Stations
Author: Growth Energy
WASHINGTON DC – Growth Energy today welcomed the words of a top General Motors executive who said that the United States must substantially build out the infrastructure to deliver ethanol to consumers. Growth Energy’s position is that increasing the number of blender pumps would give drivers a choice of mid- and high-level ethanol blends in more locations across the country.
What we’ve heard from General Motors is what we’ve been saying at Growth Energy since we were created 18 months ago – if we’re going to reduce emissions, clean the air, and put Americans to work in green-energy jobs, we need to give American families a choice of low-emission fuel at their filling stations. At Growth Energy, we believe that means more blender pumps,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. “Ethanol is a low-carbon fuel that produces 59 percent fewer green house gas emissions than gasoline and it is home-grown. Every blender pump we install at a gas station makes our country more energy independent and gives consumers a choice, all while creating jobs in the U.S. and greening our environment.”
Tom Stephens, Vice Chairman of General Motors, told a Florida ethanol audience of the need for expanding the ethanol fueling station network across the country in order to take advantage of the flex-fuel vehicles on the road today. “Two-thirds of the pumps are concentrated in 10 states and those 10 states have only about 19 percent of the flex-fuel vehicles that we have on the road,” he said.
In the U.S. today, there are about 160,000 U.S. gasoline stations, but only 2,200 pump ethanol blends. Stephens said that by GM’s estimate, the country needs to increase the number of stations that carry ethanol blends by 10,000 in order to be within easy reach of today’s flex-fuel vehicle drivers.
General Motors and other automotive companies have been adding flex fuel capability to their vehicles to help meet federal targets for the production and consumption of renewable fuels. With ethanol use expected to rise from the current 13.9 billion gallons to 35 billion gallons by 2022, an investment in the infrastructure to deliver ethanol to consumers is essential, Buis said.
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About Growth Energy
Growth Energy is a group committed to the promise of agriculture and growing America’s economy through cleaner, greener energy. Growth Energy members recognize America needs a new ethanol approach. Through smart policy reform and a proactive grassroots campaign, Growth energy promotes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding the use of ethanol in gasoline, decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, and creating American jobs at home. More information can be found at GrowthEnergy.org.
