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Growth Energy encouraged by Senate hearing on RVP waiver bill

The CEO of Growth Energy says a Senate hearing on the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act provided compelling evidence that Congress needs to move forward with the bill.

Emily Skor attended Wednesday’s Environment and Public Works Committee full legislative hearing, and tells Brownfield the testimony she gravitated towards came from Mike Lorenz, executive vice president of Sheetz—a large convenience store chain in the eastern U.S.

“He gave such a compelling testimony about why this is a very simple, straight-forward fix on behalf of consumers.  And that this is about putting choice into the hands of consumers (and) expanding the marketplace for higher blends of ethanol.”

 

The legislation would extend the RVP waiver to fuel blended with 15 percent ethanol, allowing E15 to be sold during the summer.

Opponents of the bill say expanding higher ethanol blends could be harmful to the environment through increased corn production.

Skor refutes those claims.

“E15 is good for the environment.  It will provide fewer toxic additives.  It is (proven) to lower vapor emissions.  So frankly, it really does have a better environmental profile than something like E10, which is very good to begin with.”

Skor says as the Committee looks to markup the bill, her hope is no amendments be included that might be harmful to the Renewable Fuels Standard.

She’s encouraging lawmakers to keep the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act separate from the RFS.