Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board Joins FlexFuel Vehicle Awareness Campaign

Grain producers from the state of Maryland announced they have awarded a grant to the Clean Fuels Foundation to increase the sale of high level ethanol blends and support local E85 stations. The Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board (MGPUB) will be supporting the National FlexFuel Vehicle Awareness Campaign in a statewide program to increase awareness among owners of flexible fuel vehicles that are capable of utilizing ethanol blends up to 85%. 

MGPUB joins the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and more than 30 national companies and organizations that are part of the FFV Awareness Campaign working in several other states across the country.  The overall campaign has been developed and is coordinated by the Clean Fuels Foundation, a Maryland based non-profit organization.  With 16 E85 stations in the state and another half dozen scheduled to open in 2011, Maryland is a prime location to increase the use of ethanol and continue to expand infrastructure.

There are nearly 9 million flex fuel vehicles on the road today in the US and a quarter of a million in Maryland.  According to Marion Wilson, the President of the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, the FFV Awareness Campaign is a perfect compliment to the recent investment they have made in refueling infrastructure.  "This program is the next step in the evolution of the ethanol program.  We are getting more refueling locations all the time and the cars are becoming increasingly available.  We will make sure current FFV owners are aware their vehicles have this capability and then inform them that these fuels are available and where they can get them," said Mr. Wilson.  "We are sure that when drivers know this we will see an increase in the use of ethanol which provides a range of environmental, energy, and economic benefits," he said.

The FFV Awareness Campaign is working with government, private companies and other interest groups in more than a dozen states across the country.  The Maryland campaign plans to coordinate with the Maryland Energy Administration, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Department of the Environment to reach drivers through registration notices, emission stations, and DMV offices.  But there are even simpler and more direct ways for drivers to see if their cars have this capability, according to Clean Fuels Foundation Director Doug Durante.  Many FFVs have a FlexFuel symbol on the back of the car and a yellow gas cap or a sticker on the fuel filler door.  Drivers can also consult their owner’s manuals, and can check their vehicle identification numbers by logging on to http://www.ffv-awareness.org. 

"Maryland is a prime candidate to use our small grains like barley for the production of advanced biofuels like ethanol," said Lynne Hoot, Executive Director of the MGPUB.  "By increasing the use of ethanol right here in the state we would offer a great advantage to anyone developing a project in Maryland," she said.