April 1, 2011
Pennsylvania's Ethanol Corridor Project Surpasses 1 Million Gallons
What a fantastic day for Pennsylvania. A few years ago, this fuel was only known in the Midwest. In the interest of our national security, we need every available domestically produced fuel to help lessen our dependence on imported foreign petroleum.
Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities (GPCC) reached a major milestone in alternative fuel deployment: In 2010, the coalition's ethanol project dispensed its 1 millionth gallon of E85.
In 2006, GPCC set out to create an E85 corridor running from State College to Philadelphia. The project gained speed in the last year-and-a-half, with the number of public E85 stations along the route expanding from eight to 19.
Funding for the project came from a state Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) and a project award from the U.S. Department of Energy. GPCC and its stakeholders used these funds to support the installation of E85 dispensers at gasoline stations and to educate the public. Outreach efforts included teaching consumers how use a vehicle identification number to determine E85 compatibility. GPCC engaged both large multistation retail fuel companies, such as AMERIgreen, Shipley Energy, and Sheetz, and small businesses like Dileo's Auto Service just outside of Philadelphia.
"What a fantastic day for Pennsylvania," said AMERIgreen's Seth Obetz "A few years ago, this fuel was only known in the Midwest. In the interest of our national security, we need every available domestically produced fuel to help lessen our dependence on imported foreign petroleum."
GPCC expects more stations will add their names to the list. When gas prices rise, so does the interest in ethanol, and the advent of the E85 corridor makes it a little easier for Pennsylvanians and people traveling through the state to use it.
