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(Lincoln, NE) Gov. Dave Heineman today joined the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA), the Nebraska Corn Growers Association (NeCGA) and the Nebraska Corn Board in welcoming members of the Indy Racing League (IRL) to Nebraska and celebrating IRL’s decision to use 100 percent ethanol fuel in its racing vehicles, beginning in 2007.
IndyCar drivers Paul Dana and Jimmy Kite with the Ethanol Hemelgarn Racing Team joined state officials and agricultural representatives in Lincoln to discuss why ethanol has become IRL’s high-performance fuel of choice. The drivers also signed autographs and posed for pictures with an IRL vehicle parked on Centennial Mall.
Gov. Heineman challenged Nebraskans to use the IRL announcement as a reason to improve on statistics that show more than 60 percent of the fuel sold in Nebraska includes ethanol.
“We already know that ethanol is good for our environment, for our farmers and for our rural communities,” Gov. Heineman said. “I know how seriously these drivers take performance, and if ethanol is good enough for their needs, it is ideal for on-the-go Nebraska families.”
Steve Ebke, President of the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, “The IndyCar Series’ conversion to ethanol is an important step in convincing even more motorists that ethanol provides positive performance benefits for their vehicles.”
Greg Ibach, Director of the NDA, said, “The endorsement of a sport with the international marketing opportunities of IndyCar racing will provide opportunities to grow markets for Nebraska-produced grain and ethanol.”
Ethanol production requires more than 200 million bushels of Nebraska corn each year, nearly a quarter of the state’s annual crop, according to the Nebraska Ethanol Board.
In May, Gov. Heineman announced an executive order directing all state agencies that use fleet vehicles to require state employees to use E85 ethanol and biodiesel fuel whenever available within a reasonable distance for the state’s flexible-fuel and diesel-powered vehicles.
“The availability of E85 continues to grow,” Gov. Heineman said. “By early next month, we expect at least 25 fueling stations to offer E85, with more on the way. This is good news for our farmers and for the thousands of Nebraskans driving flexible-fuel vehicles.”
The number of E85 compatible vehicles on Nebraska’s roads has nearly doubled since January, according to state records, up to 39,000 from 20,000.
Nebraska fueling stations sold more than 500,000 gallons of E85 in 2004. The state ranks third in U.S. corn production, producing approximately 1.1 billion bushels annually, and produces more than 520 million gallons of ethanol a year at 11 plants.
Dana, a rookie driver in the IndyCar Series, helped convince IRL officials to make the conversion to ethanol. He said he first considered using a race car to promote energy independence shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
He convinced ethanol industry leaders to sponsor his car and was a leading advocate in persuading the league to switch to ethanol. In March, officials announced that the IndyCar Series would use a 10 percent ethanol blend in 2006 and switch to 100 percent ethanol in 2007.
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