“Check before you pump” is the recommendation the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) which has issued a warning after the announcement of the new fuel pump labelling for ethanol content in petroleum. According to OPEI, an international trade association, less than a quarter (23%) of Americans stated they notice the ethanol content at the fuel pump, leading to many cases of misfueling and harming medium and smaller engines in the process.
The statement comes in light of the new labelling rule issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) which requires ethanol blended fuels be labelled at the gas pump as: “Use Only in Flex-Fuel Vehicles/May Harm Other Engines.” “We appreciate efforts by the FTC to regulate and manage the rapidly-changing fuels marketplace, requiring that fuel pumps be labelled with percentage of gasoline and percentage of ethanol added. However, the agency didn’t go far enough,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI.
Consumer surveys made in April and May 2015 revealed most U.S. motorists do not pay much attention to labels at the pump. Only half (47%) of Americans admitted they check the fuel pump for any warning labels when fuelling up their cars at filling stations. “You must put the right fuel, in the right product. We would like for labels to get more attention from consumers and for EPA or the FTC to commit funding to educate consumers about proper fuel usage,” added Kiser.
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