By law, if a pump in Iowa provides gas that contains ten percent ethanol (an amount that is safe for almost all cars), the pump must have a label stating that the fuel contains ethanol. This can turn off some buyers who might be worried about the alcohol's lower energy content, and that equals lower sales of ethanol. This might change thanks to Iowa State Senator Jack Kibbie, who introduced legislation that would allow gas stations to remove the ethanol identification stickers. Sen. Kibbie says,"My goal is to increase the use of ethanol in Iowa. ... Sometimes, people driving through Iowa on the interstates, who don't know as much about ethanol as we do, see those stickers and say, 'I don't want any of that stuff!' So they put in high octane fuel that costs 10 cents a gallon more."

E85 and other alternative fuels would still require a label, but E10 labels could be removed and consumers could be sold ethanol-blended gasoline without warning. The Des Moines Register spoke with Jim Millick, a Davenport motorist who opposes Kibbie's Senate File 2137. He told the paper, "That is outrageous that they want to obscure the contents of the fuel that we buy in an effort to sell more... Have you ever heard of consumer labeling that actually takes away information from a consumer?" The bill could be debated on the Senate floor next week. Stay tuned for updates.

[Source: The Des Moines Register]

China Daily is reporting that the State Council, the country's official state cabinet, recently asked government departments to more quickly address the application process of an automotive energy-efficiency labeling system. It was just last year that the Regulation on Energy-Efficiency Labeling Administration was jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National General Administration of Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

The article points out that this is good news on two fronts. The implementation of an efficiency system will help to facilitate fuel consumption management as well as help to create a culture of informed consumers.

In light of our own EPA's revision of mileage ratings, it will be interesting to see what type of system China develops.

[Source: China Daily via Auto Industry]