This week, Fox & Friends aired a segment where they interviewed Illinois Farm Bureau Vice President and corn farmer Brian Duncan about the market potential for E15. We were pleased to hear the benefits of biofuels showcased in this piece – a notable improvement from recent coverage on the same network, but some inaccuracies remain. So, we’re here to set the record straight.
Claim: Fox Reporter Grady Trimble said, “We found something that Senators Chuck Grassley, Amy Klobuchar, and a host of other bipartisan lawmakers can agree on, they want to make E15 fuel available year-round. Right now, you can only get it in the summertime, and they say it will lower the cost of gas.”
BOTH TRUE AND FALSE…
TRUE! Yes! E15 year-round has bipartisan support from Congress. Check out what lawmakers are saying on the push for E15 to reduce our reliance on foreign oil, lower costs at the pump, and drive down emissions here.
E15 also lowers the cost of gas, as it sells on average for up to $0.10 less per gallon than E10, and in recent weeks, has saved drivers as much as $0.50 per gallon.
FALSE! E15 is currently restricted from being sold in the summertime due to outdated laws. Join us in urging the EPA to issue an emergency waiver to allow E15 to be sold this summer so drivers across the country can benefit from its cost savings.
Claim: Reporter Grady Trimble said, “There are people who push back against this type of planning, including the folks at the American Petroleum Institute. They say E15 gets fewer miles per gallon, it emits more greenhouse gases than E10, it could damage vehicles and void the warranty, and it could increase food costs – especially right now when corn is already skyrocketing.”
FALSE! These are the same old misleading statements from big oil, but fortunately, the fact are on our side.
- E15 is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for all cars model year 2001 and newer. That’s 96% of the cars on the road today.
- Most automakers – including the Big Three – warranty E15 fuel for nearly 90 percent of all new cars.
- E15 burns cleaner and cooler than gasoline, so it’s better for your engine.
- The data shows that food prices are dictated by oil, not biofuel.
- As has been shown repeatedly, there is simply no evidence that the RFS increases GHG emissions on a lifecycle basis, compared to gasoline. In fact, EH&E found that ethanol reduces GHG emissions by nearly 50% compared to gasoline.
Our friend from Illinois, Brian Duncan, also says it well in the interview – “We have enough ethanol in reserve to meet the demand if we would go to year-round E15 and I think the American Petroleum Institute would say about anything to protect their market share.”
Claim: Reporter Grady Trimble says, “By and large, the folks at GasBuddy say if you do use E15 – if you can find it – it’ll save you anywhere from $0.05 to $0.10 a gallon.”
TRUE! That’s correct! E15– marketed to consumers as Unleaded88 (UNL88) – is currently sold at over 2,500 stations across 31 states. You can use GasBuddy, or visit GetBiofuel.com and use our fuel finder, to find a station offering this higher biofuel blend near you.
E15 also saves drivers an average of up to $0.10 cents per gallon compared to E10. In recent weeks, we’ve also seen drivers save as much as $0.50 per gallon.
Claim: Fox Anchor Steve Doocy asked, “What about the argument from the petroleum people that if you use the corn to make the gas, then your price of corn at the grocery store goes up?”
False! The corn used for ethanol is derived from animal feed corn – not sweet corn that humans consume. Ethanol producers simply take starch from the corn to produce ethanol, while at the same time producing distillers grain, America’s second-largest source of animal feed, so that all of the fat and fiber continue into the food chain.
Additionally, data shows that the price we pay for food is heavily dictated by the cost of crude oil – a correlation demonstrated by data on food and oil prices. In fact, the USDA says that the farm share of every dollar spent on food is just 14.3 cents – most of the food costs are driven by marketing and packaging.
Claim: Fox Anchor Brian Kilmeade asked, “Does it burn clean?”
TRUE! The reporter, Grady Trimble, gets it right this time, “The reason it was added in the first place is because they argue it burns better – more clean.”
Ethanol is a renewable, plant-based biofuel that burns cleaner and cooler than gasoline, which is good for our environment and our cars’ engines. Ethanol also provides a superior octane boost without the carcinogens associated with other fuel additives.
In fact, Sunoco Green E15 is the official fuel of NASCAR, showcasing ethanol’s ability to perform in the most demanding of driving environments.