Boating industry reacts to Pres. Trump’s support of year-round ethanol-blended fuel sales

NATIONWIDE — Pres. Donald J. Trump made an announcement, just ahead of a White House meeting, which certainly garnered the interest of the boating industry: The president stated he had plans to reform high-ethanol fuel mixtures to 15 percent, 12 months a year. The comment, which Trump stated “makes a lot of farmers very happy,” received strong reactions from the boating community that claim fuels containing 15 percent blends – or E15 – are harmful to marine engines. Thom Dammerich, President of National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), stated in a press release, “President Trump’s promise to expand E15 sales into the summer months will needlessly put 141 million American boaters in danger. Unfortunately, far too few boating enthusiasts are aware that boat engines cannot process higher blends of ethanol safely. In fact, 63 percent of consumers assume any gas sold at a retail gas station must be safe from their product.” An article released by West Marine on April 27, 2017 discussed the dangers of ethanol-blended fuels and concluded any fuel containing ethanol in a percentage higher than 10 would do permanent and irreversible damage to the components of marine engines. Mercury Marine stated in the article, “Fuel containing higher proportions of ethanol is...