Maryland pumps up ethanol expansion

Governor plans "major policy speech" on energy later this month

On Tuesday, O'Malley (D) outlined a three-pronged strategy for "energy independence," including expanding biofuel use, transitioning to electric vehicles and launching a public education campaign.

Of the state's 9,000-vehicle fleet, 1,200 are able to use ethanol. But the state had only one ethanol pump until two months ago when two more were installed, including one at a state fueling station in Annapolis where O'Malley made his announcement.

The state plans to install four more ethanol pumps in Easton, Hagerstown, La Plata and Salisbury within a year. They cost about &#e6;100,000 each.

There are seven ethanol pumps available at service stations in Maryland, with two more debuting this month. A state grant program awarded &#e6;12,500 for each of six of those pumps.

The E-85 fuel blend dispensed by the pumps is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. It is made primarily by distilling grains such as corn, wheat and barley and burns cleaner than petroleum gasoline. Concerns over the cost of using food crops for fuel are being considered by a Salisbury University study that has identified non-food Maryland crops, such as switch grass, that can be converted to ethanol.

"Corn-based ethanol is not a sustainable future," O'Malley said.

The state pays &#e6;2.92 a gallon on E-85 and &#e6;3.14 a gallon for regular gasoline.

Tuesday's announcement "underscores the importance of E-85 as a part of the solution, as a part of Û not the silver bullet solution Û but part of the silver buckshot. That one piece of the solution that allows us to move forward," O'Malley said.

The state also plans to offer incentives for electric vehicles, which have no tailpipe emissions and the equivalent of 75 cents per gallon fuel-efficiency, said Malcolm D. Woolf, director of the Maryland Energy Administration.

The state is also considering several ways to encourage people to buy electric vehicles. They include:

ÔTime-of-use electricity pricing to encourage consumers to charge vehicles at night, when electricity is more plentiful and cheaper.

ÔAllowing electric vehicles to use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and special parking.

ÔEncouraging developers to install electric rechargers in parking lots and garages.

MEA has created a program to give grants to local governments for alternative fuel projects and is using its Web site (www.energy.state.md.us) to promote cost-saving tips, such as properly inflating tires to improve mileage.

The state is also encouraging commuters to use transit options through its "Save the Bay, Ride MTA" campaign and to find cost-effective commuting options through the Commuter Choice Maryland program.

Three weeks ago, O'Malley announced that all new Maryland Transit Administration bus purchases will be hybrid-electric buses. MTA will convert 500 buses to hybrids by 2014, contingent on state funding. The MTA buses serve the Baltimore region.