Nebraska Votes on Ethanol Blend Labels

The bill would jettison all labeling rules for ethanol blends.

March 23, 2011

LINCOLN, Neb. - Nebraska lawmakers are considering a bill that would let gasoline stations get rid of signs for ethanol blends of less than 11 percent, the Associated Press reports. The current law mandates labeling ethanol blends if they have at least 1 percent ethanol. Eighteen other states require some sort of ethanol blend labeling at the pump.

State Sen. Mark Christensen sponsored the bill to remove all labeling requirements for ethanol, but an amendment by the Legislature??s Agriculture Committee inserted a label rule for blends with 11 percent or higher ethanol, such as E15.

"We??ve found that, over the years, it's been viewed by most consumers as a warning label," said Ron Lamberty, vice president of the American Coalition for Ethanol. "There's all kinds of stuff in gasoline, but they're not required to label all of it." He said gasoline retailers ought to be able to label their pumps however they want.

The newspaper writes that the Nebraska Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association does not support the bill.

Nebraska ranks second in ethanol production in the United States, behind Iowa, with 1.7 billion gallons refined annually. The bill has three floor votes to clear before heading to the desk of Gov. Dave Heineman.

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