[Editor’s note: Color me cynical, or just pragmatic and observant as a life-long Illinoisan, but there must not have been the right inside contract opportunities to the right folk, on this one. The closer you get to Chicago the more likely such big initiatives have an angle feathering the right pockets.]
Mandating E15 is a bad idea for Chicago’s drivers and station owners and the City Council made the right move by tabling the proposal, according to Illinois Petroleum Council (IPC) Executive Director Jim Watson.
“A mandate forcing Chicago gas stations to sell E15 gasoline could come with a heavy price for consumers and small business owners,” Watson said. “Consumers who use E15 could end up with broken down cars and high repair bills. And since E15 doesn’t qualify for the 20 percent state sales tax exemption and contains less energy than regular gasoline, filling up with E15 could be more expensive while lowering gas mileage. We’ll work to protect consumers by defeating this proposal next year.”
The IPC represents all sectors of Illinois’ oil and natural gas industry, supporting more than 263,000 jobs and $33 billion of the state’s economy as a result of operations involving pipeline construction, oil refining, marketing of transportation fuels and research in the New Albany Shale formation.
The IPC is a division of API, which represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry. API’s more than 625 members produce, process, and distribute most of the nation’s energy. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy.
