LETTER: Ethanol: It’s Earth Day friendly

By Eamonn Byrne, Lakeview Plymouth Energy

Around Earth Day each year we often look for ways we can all be more sustainable. For me, I don’t have to look much further than out my office window at the ethanol plant I manage. What better way to help sustain our environment than to power our nation’s engines with a fuel that is literally home grown?

Renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel are made from cornstarch, soybean oil, corn oil  and other renewable sources. In the small town of Merrill, Iowa, Lakeview Plymouth Energy produces millions of gallons of ethanol a year to blend into the world’s fuel supply. Not only does the fuel we produce come from sustainable sources, but it gives back to the Earth by reducing greenhouse gasses and cancer-causing tailpipe emissions.

This Earth Day, we can all take small steps to impact big changes, starting with the car in our own driveways. All 2001 and newer vehicles are approved by the EPA for use of E15, a fuel made of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent petroleum. Try a higher ethanol blend today to help safeguard the environment for years to come. – Eamonn Byrne, Merrill, Iowa, chief executive officer, Lakeview Plymouth Energy