E85 Provides Fuel Alternative to Nebraska Residents - Bosselman Inc. Opens Nebraska's Fifth E85 Station

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. October 5, 2004; Bosselman Inc. and the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) announced the opening of Nebraska's fifth E85 fueling station in Grand Island, Neb. E85 is an ethanol-based fuel alternative to gasoline.

The announcement was made with Gov. Mike Johanns, the Nebraska Ethanol Board, and General Motors Corp. at Bosselman's Pump & Pantry (Highway 281 and Capital Avenue) fueling station in Grand Island. Bosselman also announced plans to expand its number of E85 stations.

As part of the grand opening, drivers of flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) capable of running on E85 were encouraged to fill their tanks for 85 cents a gallon. "Establishing new ethanol outlets provides widespread benefits not only for Nebraska's farm communities, but for our entire state," said Gov. Johanns. "By increasing the use of ethanol, we strengthen our state's economy and help to protect the environment by promoting the use of a clean-burning fuel. I applaud the many partners who are working to increase the availability of this viable fuel alternative."

E85, which is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, is currently made from domestically produced corn. Its price and performance are similar to that of regular gasoline, but ethanol is a renewable, domestically produced fuel that produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions. The market for E85 has increased 10-fold during the past five years, to about 10 million gallons a year.

"Bosselmans is a long-time marketer of ethanol fuels in Nebraska and other Midwestern states," said Fred A. Bosselman, president of Bosselman Energy, Inc. "We view the marketing of E85 as an opportunity to expand our slate of fuel products that contain ethanol produced in Nebraska. We believe this is the right thing to do to support Nebraska-based companies and farmers, as well as respond to demand for clean burning, renewable fuels."

Nebraska ranks third in U.S. corn production with approximately 1.1 billion bushels produced annually, and produces more than 520 million gallons of ethanol annually by 11 ethanol plants. The state has sold 500,000 gallons of E85 to date in 2004.

"E85 is a clean-burning, domestically grown alternative transportation fuel that can be used in a growing number of vehicles being produced today," said Phil Lampert, executive director for the NEVC. "Today, ethanol made from corn reduces petroleum fuel use by 98,000 barrels per day and provides jobs for American farmers."

In the future, when it is made from biomass such as corn and wheat stalks and forestry waste, ethanol has the potential to virtually eliminate automotive greenhouse gas emissions.

GM and the nonprofit NEVC are leading a public awareness effort - part of a two-year partnership between the two organizations - that focuses on increasing E85 use in GM FFVs, which may use either E85 or gasoline or any combination of the two.

"General Motors is pleased to sponsor the Grand Island promotion to encourage consumers to try this homegrown alternative fuel and take advantage of the benefits," said Gary Herwick, director of alternative fuels for General Motors. "We support the use of E85 because it's an alternative fuel that relies on domestic production."

GM produces more than a third of the more than three million E85 flexible fuel vehicles on American roads. All 2002 and newer Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL full-size SUVs equipped with the Vortec 5300 engine are E85-capable. Specially equipped Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups also are available for fleet use with E85 capability. New E85-capable GM vehicles for the 2005 model year are the Chevy Avalanche and Police Tahoe.

Established in 1971, the Nebraska Ethanol Board assists ethanol producers with programs and strategies for marketing ethanol and related co-products. The Board supports organizations and policies that advocate the increased use of ethanol fuels and administers public information, education, and ethanol-focused research projects. The Board also assists companies and organizations in the development of ethanol production facilities in Nebraska.

The Bosselman Family of Companies headquartered in Grand Island, Nebraska, encompasses six Travel Centers, 38 Pump & Pantry convenience stores, and eight Grandma Max's Restaurants located throughout Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota, and New Mexico. Founded in 1948, Bosselmans has expanded to over 1,000 employees including divisions for wholesale oil, fuel and propane delivery; truck, tank and trailer repair; environmental services for the petroleum industry; condominiums and farming.

The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition is the nation's primary advocate dedicated to the use of 85 percent ethanol as a form of alternative transportation fuel. It is a coalition of corn growers, ethanol producers and auto manufacturers based in Jefferson City, Missouri. For more information, visit www.e85fuel.com.