Underwriters Laboratories announces excellent news for the ethanol industry. UL representatives say that they will be begin to accept E85 fuel pumps for intensive tests by the end of 2007. UL states that they are currently expecting to finalize studies and will publish certification requirements by the end of the fourth quarter of this year. Shortly after the publishing UL will begin to accept E85 dispensing equipment for certification compliance and safety screening.

UL has worked with the US Department of Energy in an expansive scientific research study that is researching the long term, potentially corrosive effects of highly concentrated ethanol on the components of E85 dispensers, and ethanol’s subsequent effects on fire and environmental safety.

The UL certification is expected to expand the infrastructure of distribution for E85 ethanol, which is now mainly managed in America’s Midwest. UL develops standards and safety for much than 19,000 merchandise types, including petroleum and other fuel systems.