Pure Pierre Politics

President Obama’s administration, namely the Environmental Protection Agency, hasn’t decided yet whether to grant a waiver request for E15 blends of ethanol and gasoline for use in noncommercial vehicles. Current regulations allow either E10 (standard gasohol) or, for flex-fuel vehicles, E85. However, that hasn’t stopped Congress from sending money to states to distribute for re-fitting gasoline stations to provide blends other than E10 or E85. In South Dakota, $1 million is available through the 2009 federal-stimulus aid for stations to add above-ground lines and storage tanks. The Legislature is poised to give final approval this week to an emergency program to get the money into the hands of station operators this spring. The maximum grant would be $10,000, but there’s no limit on the number of grants which can be sought. The legislation, HB 1192, roared out of the House of Representatives a week ago on a 68-2 vote and stayed on the fast track today when the Senate State Affairs Committee gave its endorsement. Rep. Mitch Fargen, D-Flandreau, is the bill’s prime sponsor. It has the support of the Rounds administration. The Senate lead sponsor is Senate Republican leader Dave Knudson of Sioux Falls.