Matt Blunt on Energy & Oil Republican MO Governor

Proposes “E-10” 10% ethanol standard in gasoline

Most who have resisted my E-10 proposal have based their opposition on the belief that the initiative would somehow encumber the free market. [However], many major petroleum companies contractually bar their Missouri affiliates from blending ethanol in gasoline. I view my proposal as one that eliminates a barrier to competition, not one that impedes it. Simply put, all my E-10 initiative would do is ensure that ethanol is used in Missouri gasoline when, and only when, it is less expensive than petroleum-based gasoline.

Another point in favor of my E-10 proposal is our national dependence on foreign oil. The current situation, whereby we import most of our petroleum from OPEC and other foreign nations, leaves the country vulnerable from both a price and national security standpoint.