Benton station begins selling ethanol blend

BENTON, Mo. -- A new form of ethanol-based fuel is available in the area starting today, and supporters say it burns cleaner, less expensively and will reduce the country's dependency on foreign oil.

It's called E85, and starting at 9 a.m. it will be for sale at Express Fuel Center in Benton, just off the Interstate 55 interchange.

E85 is 85 percent ethanol, which is made from corn, and 15 percent gasoline. The station is owned by Russ Mothershead and family, which also owns Midwest Grain and Barge and Midwest Agri-Chemico, at the nearby SEMO Regional Port Authority.

The gas will go on sale for 85 cents a gallon from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and then be raised to $1.85 a gallon. On Thursday, it will be adjusted to the market, though experts say E85 is typically about 40 cents lower than gasoline.

"It's a trend that we feel like has a lot of merit," said Russ Allen Mothershead II. "We want to move toward reducing our dependence on foreign oil and at the same time support the corn producers of this state."

Mothershead said that the corn is being converted to ethanol at Mid-Missouri Energy, an ethanol plant in Malta Bend in central Missouri. The plant uses Missouri-grown corn to produce E85, he said.

The catch is that not all vehicles can tolerate E85, only so-called flexible-fuel vehicles. According to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, nearly 50 vehicles will accept E85, such as the Chevrolet Suburban, GM Tahoe, Dodge Durango, Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Chrysler Sebring. These vehicles can use either E85 or regular gasoline. For a complete listing, visit www.e85fuel.com.

Express Fuel Center is the 27th gas station to sell E85 in the state, according to the Missouri Corn Growers Association. The other E85 stations in Southeast Missouri are in Charleston and Bernie.

According to the association, the benefits of E85 also include reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing market value for Missouri corn farmers.

"Shock waves from recent gas spikes sent a wake-up call to Americans that we must continue to develop and utilize alternative energy sources," said Mike Geske, an association board member and farmer from Matthews, Mo. "As a corn farmer in Southeast Missouri, I would much rather support a product that is made here in the Midwest, not the Middle East."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137