Illinois officials call for ethanol probe
Friday, January 27, 2006
Printable FormatThe Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois officials want the federal government to investigate whether oil companies are keeping gas stations from offering ethanol-based E-85 fuel.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) have both asked for investigations.
Blagojevich sent a letter Friday to the Federal Trade Commission requesting action on "potentially illegal policies by major petroleum companies that discourage the sale of biofuels."
He said the number of Illinois stations offering E-85 has climbed from 14 to about 100 since autumn of 2004. But most of that growth has been downstate. Cook County, with much of the state's population, has only about 10 E-85 stations.
Obama and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, want the congressional Government Accountability Office to look into the issue.
Obama said his office has obtained an oil company memo showing that franchise gas stations face strict corporate rules making it difficult for them to offer alternative fuels.
"If big oil companies are standing in the way of consumers who want to fill their vehicles with cleaner alternative fuels made here in the United States, then I believe the American people deserve to know why," he said.
William Fleischli, executive vice president of the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association, said no gas stations have complained to him about being unable to sell E-85 or other alternative fuels.
He said Illinois is seeing rapid growth in such fuels, and more stations will offer it as demand increases.
"The people that want to offer it are offering it," Fleischli said.