Stinker Stations Opens Idaho's First E85 Fueling Station

E85 Provides Fuel Alternative To Idaho Residents

BOISE, Idaho - Gov. Dirk Kempthorne and Stinker Stations announced the opening of Idaho's first E85 fueling station in Boise, Friday, November 5. E85 is an ethanol-based fuel alternative to gasoline.

The announcement was made with the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) and General Motors Corp. at the Stinker Station, 2323 W. Main Street, in Boise. Stinker also announced plans to expand its number of E85 stations as demand grows throughout Idaho.

As part of the grand opening, drivers of flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) capable of running on E85 were encouraged to fill their tanks for 85 cents a gallon. "Everyone needs to do their part to reduce America's dependence on imported oil and energy," said Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne. "One of the best ways is to use alternative fuels. I'm pleased to announce that I will be driving a state-owned Chevrolet Suburban that utilizes E85 fuel. I also want to congratulate Stinker Stations and General Motors for making this technology available to more Idahoans."

E85, which is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, is currently made from domestically-produced crops, such as corn and potatoes. Its price and performance are similar to that of regular gasoline, but ethanol is a renewable fuel that produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions and reduces petroleum fuel use. The market for E85 has increased 10-fold during the past five years, to about 10 million gallons a year.

"Stinker has blended its gasoline with 10 percent ethanol for over 20 years," said Charley Jones, president, Stinker Stations. "Stinker blends with ethanol because it burns cleaner and improves vehicle performance with higher octane and reduces tailpipe emissions. Ethanol also provides the additional benefits of supporting agriculture and reducing dependence on overseas oil imports. Stinker is proud to offer E85 fuel to our customers in Idaho."

Idaho produces 1.8 million gallons of ethanol annually by one ethanol plant that uses potatoes as a feedstock. Idaho is the largest potato-producing state in the U.S. and produced 13.8 billion pounds in 2003. Four additional ethanol plants in Idaho are in various stages of development.

"E85 is a home-grown, clean-burning, alternative transportation fuel," said Phil Lampert, executive director for the NEVC. "Today, ethanol made from potatoes, corn, wheat, sorghum and other crops, reduces petroleum fuel use by 98,000 barrels per day, provides thousands of jobs, and has become a $10 billion per-year industry."

In the future, when it is made from biomass such as corn and wheat stalks and forestry waste, ethanol has the potential to virtually eliminate automotive greenhouse gas emissions.

GM and the nonprofit NEVC are leading a public awareness effort - part of a two-year partnership between the two organizations - that focuses on increasing E85 use in GM FFVs, which may use either E85 or gasoline or any combination of the two.

"General Motors is proud to celebrate the opening of Idaho's first E85 fueling station, and we encourage consumers to try this alternative fuel and to take advantage of the benefits," said Gary Herwick, director of alternative fuels for General Motors. "We support the use of E85 because it's a renewable, alternative fuel that relies on domestic production."

GM produces more than a third of the approximately 4 million E85 flexible fuel vehicles on American roads. All 2002 and newer Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL full-size SUVs equipped with the Vortec 5300 engine are E85-capable. E85 capability also is available as an option on the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon full-size SUVs, and the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickup trucks. New E85-capable GM vehicles for the 2005 model year include the Chevrolet Avalanche and Police Tahoe.

# # #

Stinker Stations was founded by Farris Lind in 1936 and currently operates 41 convenience stores in Idaho. Stinker and its affiliated companies, Westpoint Transportation and Arrowrock Supply employ 450 people. For more information, visit www.stinker.com

The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition is the nation's primary advocate dedicated to the use of 85 percent ethanol as a form of alternative transportation fuel. It is a coalition of corn growers, ethanol producers and auto manufacturers based in Jefferson City, Missouri . For more information, visit www.e85fuel.com.