(PRINCETON, NJ – NOVEMBER 15, 2013) –
NAFA Fleet Management Association said it welcomes the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to ease the renewable volume
obligations for ethanol in the renewable fuel standard (RFS) for 2014. EPA’s proposal addresses the concerns of the
Association and fleet managers that the approaching blend wall for ethanol would
result in the mandated use of E-15, a fuel level that many vehicle fleet
managers fear would void vehicle warranties, damage engines, and cause damage
to underground storage tank systems.
“E-15 is an issue we have been
following closely,” explained NAFA’s Executive Director Phillip E. Russo,
CAE. “NAFA retains legislative counsels
in Washington, DC, and Ottawa, Canada to follow issues that could affect
fleets, such as the E-15 situation. Many
vehicles currently on the road and used in businesses throughout the country by
our Members, were simply not made to operate on gasoline higher than E10. The warranty issue is very real and has been
raised by several auto manufacturers in conversations with our legislative team. In addition, with respect to underground
storage tank systems, there are no tank or components currently available that
have been certified as compatible with E-15.
Due to issues such as these, NAFA provided comments to the House Energy
and Commerce Committee earlier in the year as background for their review of
the RFS.”
NAFA has long supported federal
environmental and energy policies, including the RFS that reach the entire
motoring public and return benefits to fleets and the general public. An assessment of the RFS is appropriate as
the use of alternative fuels has increased and fuel efficiency standards and
fuel economy measures have reduced gasoline use nationwide. For fleets, fuel is often the single most
important operating cost. As such,
fleets are constantly adopting strategies to reduce fuel use and improve
vehicle efficiencies.
“Although fleet managers strongly
support protecting and sustaining our environment, the potential difficulties
and related expenses that will result by introducing E-15 before it is fully
evaluated will outpace our ability to address the mechanical problems that will
result,” Russo continued. “Further, fuel
costs will increase because of the decreased energy content delivered per
gallon. As a major consumer of vehicles
and engines, we are concerned with the potential impact on both light-duty
engines, as well as non-covered engines, including engine failure, corrosion,
materials incompatibility, catalyst degradation, water-in-fuel and phase
separation, higher exhaust temperatures, increased pollution emissions, and
reduced life of the vehicle or engine.
“Nobody
fights harder for fleets than we do,” said Russo. “In an era in which many organizations are
cutting back, we are working harder than ever.
Our legislative team is growing and becoming more aggressive in our
efforts to ensure that the voices of fleet managers are heard. We are the eyes and ears of fleet management,
and we’re proud to be in this position.”
About NAFA Fleet Management Association
NAFA is the world’s premier non-profit
association for professionals who manage fleets of sedans, public safety
vehicles, trucks, and buses of all types and sizes, and a wide range of
military and off-road equipment for organizations across the globe. NAFA is the
association for the diverse vehicle fleet management profession regardless of
organizational type, geographic location or fleet composition. NAFA’s Full and
Associate Members are responsible for the specification, acquisition,
maintenance and repair, fueling, risk management, and remarketing of more than
3.5 million vehicles including in excess of 1.1 million trucks of which 350
thousand are medium- and heavy-duty trucks. For more information visit http://www.nafa.org.
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