Fill'er up with ethanol-based fuel

BENTON -- Area motorists traveling along Interstate 55 in vehicles compatible with E85 fuel now have at least one source to replenish their tanks with the ethanol-based fuel.

On Wednesday Express Fuel in Benton became the only known fueling station to offer E85 on I-55.

"We're basically giving consumers another choice," said station owner Russ Mothershead Sr. about the alternative fuel. "And it's a win-win situation for everybody."

The grand opening event also marked the 27th public E85 fueling station in the state; other Southeast Missouri E85 stations are located in Charleston and Bernie.

E85-compatible motorists also enjoyed lower fuel prices Wednesday. As part of its celebration, Express Fuel offered E85 fuel for 85 cents a gallon until 11 a.m. and for $1.85 per gallon from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"It's a great day for agriculture. Agriculture in the United States has fed the world and our country. And now we're being asked to fuel the world," said Mothershead, who owns the station with his family, which also owns Midwest Grain and Barge and Midwest Agri-Chemico, at SEMO Regional Port Authority.

E85 is a blend of 85 percent ethanol (made from corn) and 15 percent gasoline. And Mothershead pointed out the fueling facility has offered E10, a blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline.

"It's good for agriculture," said State Rep. Lanie Black. "It's good for the United States because it will diminish our dependency on foreign oil."

Ethanol is produced by the fermentation of plant sugars, and one bushel of harvested corn can yield approximately 2.7 gallons of ethanol fuel.

State Rep. Peter Myers, who was also on hand for the grand opening, said using E85 fuel is a really important step not only for the country, but for the environment.

"St. Louis is a great example of how ethanol can clean up the atmosphere," Myers said. "The pollution was so heavy in St. Louis, and it's really changed the air quality dramatically."

In addition, E85 increases the market value for Missouri corn farmers, according to the Missouri Corn Growers Association.

All automobiles manufactured since the 1970s can burn the most common blend of ethanol called E10. However, not all vehicles are compatible with E85.

Currently there are approximately 6 million vehicles, called flexible fuel vehicles, in the United States that can burn E85. There are no additional costs for flex fuel vehicles, and drivers can use unleaded gas if E85 is not available. E85 can be used in flexible fuel vehicles such as the Chevrolet Suburban GM Tahoe, Dodge Durango, Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Chrysler Sebring.

To find out if a vehicle is E85 compliant, look inside the vehicle's fuel door for a decal that indicates the use of either fuel, consult the owner's manual or visit www.E85Fuel.com for a complete listing of E85 compatible vehicles and fueling locations.

David Herbst, a Chaffee farmer and president of the Bootheel Agri Energy LLC Board of Directors, said he thinks E85 is becoming more available to the public. And more people are learning about E85 and more dealerships are coming out with E85 vehicles, he said.

"It's great we can domestically produce a fuel source," Herbst said.

Typically E85 is about 40 cents cheaper than unleaded fuel, which would equate to a significant amount for consumers, Herbst noted.

Local motor vehicle dealers, farmers and politicians were among those in attendance for Wednesday's event, which was sponsored by Ram Star Energy LP, the Missouri Corn Growers Association and the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition.

"Shockwaves from recent gas spikes sent a wake-up call to Americans that we must continue to develop and utilize alternative energy sources," said Mike Geske, a Matthews farmer and MCGA board member. "...As a corn farmer in Southeast Missouri, I would much rather support a product that is made here in the Midwest -- not the Middle East."