A press release from the Nebraska Ethanol Board recently caught my attention for two reasons. First, it was about a showing of “Pump,” a documentary by Josh and Rebecca Tickell, two filmmakers I have written about before. I haven't seen it yet, but I want to. 

Secondly, the organizers of the event revealed the results of gasoline testing in the area where the film was shown. The results were concerning, showing the toxic and carcinogenic substances added to base gasoline were at 28 percent, above the levels allowed by law in reformulated gasoline and many places in the U.S.

About 70 people attended the event in the Omaha area, including officials and residents. The showing of “Pump,” which was released in 2014, was sponsored by the Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska Ethanol Board and Iowa Corn, with support from other clean air and renewable fuel supporters. The film is about the history of petroleum-based fuels and also offers information on alternatives, including, but not limited to, ethanol.

Sharing the results of the preliminary fuel tests drove the point home about the need for changes in an even more real way. In January, random samples of base gasoline were pulled from fuel terminals that supply the metro area of Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, located across the river from each other. Testing done by Midwest Laboratories revealed that toxic and carcinogenic substances added to gas by oil companies to increase octane, were present in higher than allowable limits. (The Nebraska Ethanol Board is also working with the Iowa Renewable Fuels Assocaition, given the metro area spans eight counties in the two states.)

“Why should we accept that,” Todd Sneller, administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board, asked me when I called to ask for more information about the event. “If we are going to be proactive about this, why would one want to wait until you’ve engage the problem, before taking preventative steps?”

Even more concerning, Sneller told me that the results would have been worse if it had been done in the summer, based on testing done in other areas. (Summer is also when Omaha faces possible violations for higher-than-allowed levels of ground-level ozone, which can cause health problems.)

Nebraska Ethanol Board’s efforts in this area will continue well beyond the film showing and sharing of the test results. “It really was, in our opinion, a start of a conversation about what steps we can be taking with transportation fuels in areas that are threatened by ozone,”Sneller told me.

The goal is to get more biofuels, including ethanol, into the fuel supply."Oil prices change. Corn prices change. Geopolitics change. But what does not change are the human health consequences of cancer-causing toxics in our fuel—and the dangerous particulates in the air we breathe," said Doug Durante, executive director of the Clean Fuels Development Coalition based in Washington, D.C., in the press release about the event. "These toxics and particulates enter our lungs, our bloodstreams, our hearts, our brains.”

Ethanol is a clean and nontoxic substance that adds octane to fuel, an alternative to compounds like benzene, xylene and toluene. “Higher ethanol blends, such as those used in flex-fuel vehicles, can dramatically reduce the volumetric levels of toxics in fuel—and improve air quality and reduce the threat to human health,” said Kim Clark, director of biofuels development for the Nebraska Corn Board, said in the press release.

The next phases of the project will involve working with other organizations and groups to come up with a proactive plan, Sneller told me. For example, the Nebraska Ethanol Board has met with members of the state’s soybean board, to discuss how biodiesel fits into the clean air picture. He pointed to work done in other states to switch airport vehicles or school buses to B20, which could be replicated in the Omaha area.

The association also hopes to work with MAPA, which has taken a “little steps, big impact” approach, which includes things like asking residents to drive less and ride bikes or take the bus more. He hopes MAPA will be interested in taking more aggressive steps in the transportation arena, he said. One possible example is to ask all businesses or public entities that have flex-fuel vehicles to commit to using E85 or higher ethanol blends. Another idea is that premium parking slots could be reserved for alternative vehicles at public buildings. The goal is to put a variety of changes in place, which, cumulatively, would have a potentially significant impact on air quality, Sneller said.

The association is also planning to keep track of the steps it takes, so it can provide a template to other groups attempting to achieve similar results in other areas. The Nebraska Ethanol Board has heard from corn grower associations in Kansas and Missouri, which face similar air quality issues in Kansas City and St. Louis.

What a great project. I look forward to hearing more about how this shakes out in Nebraska, Iowa and other states.