Louisiana Is Not A Mandatory E10 State ... Yet

Louisiana has a dormant mandatory ethanol law. Like Montana, it hasn't triggered because it requires 50 mgy of instate ethanol production which doesn't look too likely in the foreseeable future. It isn't a mandatory E10 law per se. It is a 2% volumetric law like the one passed in Washington. There is also a strange House Resolution filed with the Louisiana Secretary of State to provide an escape clause if the ethanol mandate will raise the price of gasoline more than 2 cents per gallon.

Of course all of this means nothing because EISA 2007 is forcing ethanol into all of Louisana's gasoline anyway.

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Prohibit Ethanol Blending In All Premium Unleaded Gasoline

Every mandatory E10 state has exemptions to their blending law, because there are a number of piston engine applications that should not, and some that cannot, use ethanol blended gasoline. Unfortunately the exemptions are not uniform. They vary from only one exemption in Washington, aircraft, to a universal exemption of premium unleaded in Missouri. All states exempt aircraft usage, but most states like Oregon and Washington make it almost impossible to get unblended gasoline. Oregon is the only state that allows for unblended regular and premium gasoline for the exemptions, and then makes it almost impossible to get any unblended gasoline. All other mandatory ethanol states just allow clear premium unleaded gasoline for the exempted classes.

The following piston engine applications should not use ethanol blended gasoline:

• Any 2 cycle engine used in tools, watercraft, snowmobiles, etc., or small 4 cycle engines.
• Any engines used in an emergency stationary engine application like a generator or a pump, especially in a humid climate.
• All watercraft. Ethanol blended gasoline should never be used in a marine environment.
• Antique and classic cars and classic motorcycles.
• All aircraft.

All of these users must be able to get ethanol free (E0) gasoline. If you live in a state without a mandatory ethanol blending law, you have no exemptions, ethanol will eventually be blended into all of your unleaded gasoline and there is no requirement in EISA 2007 to label gas pumps with ethanol content.

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