1 12/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | General Government Relations Meeting its legally required deadline, the EPA finalized the 2014, 2015 and 2016 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume obligations on Monday. While the ruling falls short of the worst-case scenario, it still mandates the breaking of the “blend wall” in 2016—due to this ruling, more ethanol, largely in the form of E15, will be required across the country’s fuel supply. This remains problematic for boat owners and marine businesses as these higher blends of ethanol will damage engines, present grave safety concerns and void warranties.   In its rulemaking, the EPA [...]

It’s almost the new year and the weather has become extremely variable. One day the temperature falls into the teens, and the next day the temperature climbs into the low fifties. While even the warmest temperatures don’t support a good on-water experience, they do enable a quick boat check-in without extensive cold weather gear. Recently, during a routine boat check, I noticed one part of the winter cover was not allowing the snow to slide off completely, leaving a small pocket of ice and snow, straining the cover. So, yesterday, when the temperature climbed into the fall range, I got [...]