City Council Finance Committee Passes Chicago Clean with E15 Ordinance

Source: By Mk Communications • Posted: Tuesday, December 9, 2014

CHICAGO, December 8 – Supporters of a cleaner, less expensive gasoline alternative on Monday cheered passage by the City Council Finance Committee of the Chicago Clean with E15 Ordinance. The ordinance would make E15—a fuel blend containing more made-in-America biofuels—available as an option to Chicago drivers, and now moves to the full City Council for a hearing on Wednesday. “I’m very pleased this ordinance has such strong support within the Council and across Chicago,” said co-sponsor Alderman Anthony Beale. “I look forward to the full Council vote, and to giving Chicagoans a cleaner, less expensive option.”

Supporters of the bill had been active in the lead-up to Monday’s Finance Committee meeting, where they delivered a petition with 7,673 signatures. “Chicagoans asked for a cleaner, less expensive option, and we commend the City Council Finance Committee for their leadership. They see what we see in E15: a homegrown fuel that will reduce cancer-causing emissions and smog, lower gas prices, support Illinois’ rural economy, and keep consumers’ dollars in America instead of increasing our reliance on foreign oil,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. “We thank Chairman Burke and Alderman Beale for their leadership delivering a better future to Chicago and creating more jobs in Illinois and across America that can’t be outsourced.”

If passed, the proposed ordinance would mark another in a string of environmentally-forward moves by the Chicago City Council. “Chicago has time and again led the country in taking action to clean the air. The City banned leaded gasoline in 1984, and we banned a variety of toxic gasoline additives in 2000,” said Beale. “This ordinance continues that tradition of environmental leadership and stewardship.”

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