Outdoor Power Equipment Institute to Spearhead Campaign to Educate Consumers About E-15

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is leading the path to develop an advisory task force to initiate a public relations campaign to warn consumers regarding fuel with 15% ethanol (E15). The committee will include OPEI member companies.

E15 is not approved for use on outdoor power equipment, boats and marine engines and other non-road engine products and can damage the engines, says OPEI. E15 is now available in Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Wisconsin and Nebraska, with other states soon to follow, but the fuel been approved only for sale for automobiles made since 2001.

"Our industry is developing a task force that will provide consumers, dealers and distributors with educational materials so they can better understand the repercussions of misfueling with E15," says Kris Kiser, OPEI president and chief executive officer.

Briggs & Stratton is one of the key players in the initiative.

"Although putting E15 in small engines is illegal, we are very concerned about misfueling. As soon as somebody puts E15 in our equipment it's just a matter of time before ultimately the equipment will fail," says Todd Teske, Briggs & Stratton's chairman, president and chief executive officer.

"We're participating with the industry to make sure the word gets out regarding the non-use of anything over E10 in our engines. There are a lot of people that have legacy products and we want to make sure they get the value they expect and part of that value is making sure the equipment lasts for a long time."

Check out this video message of Kiser summarizing the E15 issue and the campaign:

Lynn Marcinkowski Woolf

Lynn Marcinkowski Woolf was managing editor of Rural Lifestyle Dealer. Prior to that, she was a contributing writer for Rural Lifestyle Dealer and Farm Equipment magazines before becoming editor in 2012. She previously covered agriculture as a freelance writer for several industry publications. Lynn also worked in public relations and marketing and earned her accreditation in public relations. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and lives on a third-generation family farm in Kansas. Contact: lwoolf@lessitermedia.com

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Outdoor Power Equipment Institute to Spearhead Campaign to Educate Consumers About E-15

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Lynn Marcinkowski Woolf