Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on Friday issued a proposed rulemaking on the blending of ethanol into the state's gasoline pool.
The oil industry, however, quickly panned the proposal and said it would hamper the wider blending of ethanol in the state.
The industry's main lobbying group in the state, the Florida Petroleum Council (FPC), also called for an urgent high level meeting with state officials in an effort to get changes to the proposed rule.
The wide-ranging rulemaking did make official the current unofficial waiver on summertime Reid Vapor Pressure in the Florida's ethanol gasoline pool, which matches the federal Environmental Protection Agency waiver. But other elements of the proposal appeared to have fallen short of creating an environment that would open Florida to wider use of ethanol blends.
The oil industry's major concern is that the rulemaking creates the likelihood that a boutique gasoline will be needed to meet state standards for ethanol blends in gasoline for sale during the summertime.
Dave Mica, who heads the Florida Petroleum Council, the local branch of the American Petroleum Institute, said the rulemaking "is not what the [oil] industry and renewable fuels communities had asked for."
Mica said the proposal fell short of standards in place in other southeastern US states like South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. He described the Florida proposal as "more conservative" than any of those states.
Mica said his group has asked for an early meeting with top state officials, including Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, for an "interactive" private session with representatives from the oil and renewable fuels industries to hash out concerns about the rulemaking.
Terence McElroy, Bronson's press secretary, said the agency had not yet responded to FPC's request, but that such a meeting was not out of bounds. "We regularly meet with a lot of stakeholders.... The request is not unusual," said McElroy.
The oil industry, however, quickly panned the proposal and said it would hamper the wider blending of ethanol in the state.
The industry's main lobbying group in the state, the Florida Petroleum Council (FPC), also called for an urgent high level meeting with state officials in an effort to get changes to the proposed rule.
The wide-ranging rulemaking did make official the current unofficial waiver on summertime Reid Vapor Pressure in the Florida's ethanol gasoline pool, which matches the federal Environmental Protection Agency waiver. But other elements of the proposal appeared to have fallen short of creating an environment that would open Florida to wider use of ethanol blends.
The oil industry's major concern is that the rulemaking creates the likelihood that a boutique gasoline will be needed to meet state standards for ethanol blends in gasoline for sale during the summertime.
Dave Mica, who heads the Florida Petroleum Council, the local branch of the American Petroleum Institute, said the rulemaking "is not what the [oil] industry and renewable fuels communities had asked for."
Mica said the proposal fell short of standards in place in other southeastern US states like South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. He described the Florida proposal as "more conservative" than any of those states.
Mica said his group has asked for an early meeting with top state officials, including Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, for an "interactive" private session with representatives from the oil and renewable fuels industries to hash out concerns about the rulemaking.
Terence McElroy, Bronson's press secretary, said the agency had not yet responded to FPC's request, but that such a meeting was not out of bounds. "We regularly meet with a lot of stakeholders.... The request is not unusual," said McElroy.
