American Dream

U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes didn't know his 2005 Chevy Suburban could run on fancy E85 corn fuel until Tuesday morning, when a staff member popped his gas cap after a news conference and filled it up with the $2.69-a-gallon fuel (a blend of 15% gas and 85% corn ethanol). The fuel is so rare fewer than 1 percent of all gas stations in the United States carry it. But E85 is considered more environmentally friendly than regular gasoline. Hayes introduced a bill he hopes will make the fuel more widely available. He wants to increase a tax incentive offered to gas station owners who install the hardware for the E85 fuel.

U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, a Democrat from Lillington, introduced legislation Thursday to promote biofuels as an alternative to gasoline. The legislation would double the percentage of renewable fuel sold in the United States within six years. It would require that 75 percent of American-made cars be able to run on alternative fuels within six years. Etheridge wants to promote E85 fuel through a combination of incentives and requirements.