From food to fuel, corn serves many purposes these days. When processed as ethanol and added to our gasoline, it seems to benefit our breathing, too.

According to Bob Moffitt, communications director of the American Lung Association, “Every flex-fuel vehicle that uses E85 instead of gasoline for a year saves four tons of air pollutants from going into the air, including a lot of greenhouse gasses. Here in Wisconsin, one of the leading sources of air pollution is tail pipe emissions.”

On May 20, Moffitt along with State Senator Pat Kreitlow, Cenex general manager Paul Diemert and a host of E85 supporters all gathered at the North Menomonie Cenex E85 station to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the American Lung Association — and the 100th E85 gas station in Wisconsin.

How it works

Ethanol produced from corn has been blended with gasoline for years. E85 is the name given to blends of up to 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Certified as an alternative fuel, ethanol is designed to be used in the flex-fuel vehicles (FFV).

For E85 to perform optimally, a motorist must own a flex-fuel vehicle. Automakers such as GM plan to produce 50 percent or more of FFVs by 2012. To determine if a current vehicle is also an FFV, the owner checking under the fuel lid for a decal that indicates the use of either fuel.

Moffitt went on to explain that in addition to the environmental and health benefit, “The nice thing about E85 is that when you spend a dollar for E85, a large percent of that dollar is staying here in the state of Wisconsin. Most of the ethanol is produced in a 100-mile radius from where it is grown.

“Instead of sending our dollar off to Canada, Mexico, or Venezuela, a large part of our fuel dollar stays here, and that is definitely going to stimulate the local economy,” he added.

Local leadership

E85 is currently available at about 1,500 fueling stations across the United States, and more than 700 of these sites are located in the Upper Midwest.

During Tuesday’s celebration, Kreitlow stated, “It is an honor to celebrate the 100th E85 station in Wisconsin along with the 100th anniversary of the American Lung Association working for us, and the Corn Growers Association helping fuel the Wisconsin economy. It is great to see leadership in this neck of the woods as we look for ways to make ethanol more efficient and new ways to create new bio-fuels that are going to be grown and developed right here in Wisconsin.”

According to the American Lung Association, E85 is typically priced lower than gasoline. The renewable fuel also reduces U.S. demand for oil imported from the Middle East and other politically unstable regions.

Bruce Dybvik can be reached at bruce.dybvik@lee.net.

http://www.dunnconnect.com/articles/2008/05/26/news/news02.txt