DC Gets Its First Ethanol Pump

DC Gets Its First Ethanol Pump

Safety Policy Beth Lowery and the Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman were on hand last week for the debut of Washingtonês first retail E85 ethanol pump at the Georgetown Chevron, 2450 Wisconsin Ave, NW. The opening of additional refueling sites for VE85 TM, VeraSunês branded E85 ethanol are scheduled in the coming months. A second VE85 fueling site is also available to the public at the Navy Exchange station near the Pentagon in Arlington, VA. And Enterprise Rent-A-Car announced that it is designating its premier rental location at 1029 Vermont Ave., NW as an official –E85/FlexFuel branch.”

The new fueling locations are a part of a larger, national effort among the companies to boost the use and awareness of ethanol-based E85 fuel in the United States as just one way toward displacing petroleum and increasing energy security. GM and VeraSun Energy, one of the nationês largest ethanol producers, have been working in partnership since 2005, having successfully worked with retailers in Sioux Falls, S.D., Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Pittsburgh to increase the availability of both flexible fuel vehicles and VE85 TM. Today, VE85 TM is available at more than 90 stations in nine states and D.C. For the 2007 model year, GM offers 14 E85 ethanol-capable vehicle modelsãmore than any other automakerãwith an annual production of more than 400,000 vehicles.