BISMARCK, N.D., Sept. 24 (UPI) -- North Dakota expands on its environmental success by offering E15 blended gasoline in four of its larger cities, Gov. Jack Dalrymple said.
Dalrymple said North Dakota is now the ninth state in the country to offer gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol, compared with the more conventional 10 percent blend.
The Environmental Protection Agency approved E15 last year for cars and light trucks built since 2001. It's not yet widely available at retail gasoline stations.
Oil companies, led by trade group American Petroleum Institute, say E15 can lead to faulty check-engine signals and cause critical components of certain engines to fail. A similar debate erupted when a 10 percent ethanol blend was introduced roughly 30 years ago.
Dalrymple said the ethanol industry in his state was good for the economy and the environment.
"North Dakota has increased its production of renewable energy by 225 percent in just the last five years, and our ethanol industry is a major part of that success," he said in a statement.
E15 is available in Bismarck, Mandan, West Fargo and Fargo.
North Dakota is one of the top five oil and natural gas producing states in the country.
