Serving the 71st District with Mike Boland

HB4137 is a link to the General Assembly website's bill status for this legislation.
HB 4137 Text should bring you to the full text of Boland's bill.

Tomorrow (12/1/06) Representative Boland will be holding a news conference to call on Governor Blagojevich to sign this bill into law. The media event will be held at 11AM at the FS Fast Stop Gas Station located at 1601 1st Avenue in Silvis. I know that this particular service station was the 1st in the Illinois Quad Cities to offer E85 pumps, but I'm not totally sure whether or not it remains the only one of it's kind on our side of river.

For folks who aren't familar with all the terminology, E85 fuel is produced by blending 85 percent ethanol, which is produced from domestically grown corn, with 15 percent traditional unleaded gasoline. This fuel blend provides fuel economy and power fairly similar to normal unleaded gasoline.

Here's the text of the news release for this event.

Boland Calls On Governor to Sign E85 Legislation
SILVIS - At a news conference held in front of a Silvis gas station which offers E85 fuel, State Representative Mike Boland (D-East Moline) called on Governor Blagojevich to sign into law a recently passed bill promoting the use of ethanol in the State Of Illinois. Representative Boland was the sponsor of HB 4137 which received final approval from the Illinois General Assembly during this November’s Veto Session. Boland’s legislation requires that all new vehicles purchased by the state be Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV’s), cars and trucks that run on both E85 and traditional gasoline.

“By encouraging the use of E85 fuel, we are helping farmers here at home while also reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil,” Boland said. “This legislation will help to promote the development of greater capacity and infrastructure for the Illinois ethanol industry,” he continued. “Using E85 fuel produced from crops grown here in Illinois can also help stabilize commodity prices, and enhance agricultural profitability for our family farmers,” he stated. “By taking an active leadership role in promoting this new fuel technology, the State of Illinois will help to ensure a strong future for this important product and for our agricultural economy,” Boland emphasized.

“Because of our geographical position in our Nation’s heartland, and because we’ve been blessed with wonderfully rich agricultural soils, Illinois has a unique opportunity to become a leader in E85 technology,” Boland said. “Not only does the further development of E85 fuels open up exciting new markets for agriculture, it will also foster job growth as this industry continues to develops,” he stated. “By promoting and developing further markets for a cleaner burning fuel that frees us from dependence on foreign sources of oil, all the current and future residents of the Land of Lincoln come out far ahead,” Boland continued.

E85 fuel is produced by blending 85 percent ethanol, which is produced from domestically grown corn, with 15 percent traditional unleaded gasoline. This fuel blend provides fuel economy and power comparable to normal unleaded gasoline. In addition to the economic benefits of manufacturing E85 in Illinois with Ethanol made from corn grown in our state, there is the added benefit that E85 burns cleaner than traditional gasoline. E85 has the highest oxygen content of any motor fuel available today, so it burns cleaner than gasoline. This reduction in exhaust emissions improves air quality and reduces smog, which results in lower rates of respiratory disease and a better quality of life for those with breathing problems.

After it’s approval by the Illinois House, HB 4137 was amended by the Illinois State Senate, who made a small technical change. Boland was able to reconcile the minor differences between the bills during the November veto session, so it now awaits final approval by Governor Rod Blagojevich. Updates on Boland’s legislative activities as well as links to the full text of this legislation can be found visiting the website MikeBoland.blogspot.com. Representative Mike Boland can be reached at his district legislative office located at 4416 River Drive; Moline, Il 61265; or by phone at 309/736-3360. Boland’s local email contact is ILREPMikeBoland@aol.com .