Equipment & Engine Training Council Partners with OPEI on the "Look Before You Pump" Ethanol Education Campaign

ALEXANDRIA, Va., -- Jan. 6 -- The Equipment & Engine Training Council (EETC) has joined forces with the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) in the 'Look Before You Pump' campaign, an ethanol education and consumer protection program. The campaign reminds consumers to always use fuels containing no greater than ten percent ethanol (E10) when powering their outdoor power equipment or other non-road product, such as boats, snowmobiles and motorcycles, not designed for higher ethanol fuel blends.

The EETC is a non-profit association addressing the shortage of qualified technicians in the outdoor power equipment industry. Under the partnership with OPEI,  EETC will distribute 'Look Before You Pump' messaging and materials to its membership and other stakeholders.

Created by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), an international trade association representing 100 small engine, utility vehicle and outdoor power equipment manufacturers and suppliers, the 'Look Before You Pump' campaign is most known by its emblematic prominent, red warning hand symbol indicating 'OK' for 10 percent ethanol and 'No' for mid-level ethanol blends (such as E15, E30, E85).  The campaign was launched in October 2013, in response to higher ethanol blended fuels being made available in the marketplace for 'flex-fuel' automobiles, and to warn consumers not to inadvertently mis-fuel their small engine products not designed to handle these higher ethanol fuel blends.

"Our ethanol education campaign has made great strides in educating consumers about proper fueling behavior," said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI. "People need to use the right fuel in the right product. But the fuels marketplace is changing and mis-fueling is more possible than ever. The Look Before You Pump campaign is designed to mitigate that risk."

According to Erik Sides, Executive Director of EETC, "It just makes sense to partner with OPEI in educating the consumer on proper fueling of outdoor power equipment. EETC member dealers, distributors and technicians will be the ones diagnosing and repairing the equipment that was mis-fueled."

Last year, the National Marine Manufacturers Association and the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association also joined forces with OPEI in spreading the campaign messaging. In addition, major retail outlets including Lowe's, Walmart and True Value, as well as independent dealers, began using the 'Look Before You Pump' message in their stores and in customer circulars and catalogs.

OPEI, EETC, ISMA and NMMA urge consumers to read their equipment operating manual before fueling engines to ensure they use the right gasoline. For more information, visit www.LookBeforeYouPump.com and search for #LookB4UPump on Twitter and Facebook.

A summer 2013 OPEI/Harris Interactive study shows the vast majority of Americans (71 percent) are "not at all sure" if it is illegal or legal to put high level ethanol gas (i.e., anything greater than 10 percent ethanol) into engines such as those in boats, mowers, chain saws, snowmobiles, generators and other engine products.

About OPEI  The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is an international trade association representing 100 small engine, utility vehicle and outdoor power equipment manufacturers and suppliers of consumer and commercial outdoor power equipment.  The OPEI Education Foundation is the creative force behind TurfMutt.com. OPEI is a recognized Standards Development Organization for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and active internationally through the International Standards Organization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in the development of safety and performance standards. OPEI is the managing partner of GIE+EXPO, the industry's annual industry tradeshow. For more information, visit www.OPEI.org.

About: Equipment & Engine Training Council Inc.  Founded in 1997, the Equipment & Engine Training Council Inc. is a non-profit association whose goal is to address the shortage of qualified service technicians in the outdoor power equipment industry. Made up of more than 3500 industry professionals including manufacturers, distributors, dealers, associations, technicians and educators the EETC is striving to create professional outdoor power equipment technicians for today's sophisticated outdoor power equipment products. In order to meet these needs the association has developed the EETC Technician Certification program to measure the skill level of repair technicians working in the industry today. They have also developed the EETC School Accreditation program to establish industry standards and provide a network of industry support for high schools and colleges that have or looking to start an outdoor power equipment program training future technicians. To learn more about the EETC, visit www.eetc.org.

OPEI Branches Out to Corded Electric and Battery Product Segments

January 6 -- The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), an international trade association representing 100 small engine, utility vehicle and outdoor power equipment manufacturers and suppliers, announced it is ramping up its regulatory, standards and market reporting and statistics efforts to meet the needs of the corded electric and battery product segments.

In recent months, OPEI has welcomed several new battery/electric companies to its membership, including iRobot, Positec, Stanley Black and Decker and Sunrise Global Marketing, and John Cunningham, president of the Consumer Products Group at Stanley Black and Decker, Inc. recently joined the 2013-2014 OPEI Board of Directors.

To help the industry have a voice in regulatory and standards development, OPEI also formed an Electric Products Committee, currently led by representatives from Stanley Black and Decker and Techtronic Industries, N.A.

The OPEI Electric Products Committee is tasked with coordinating with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on standards for battery/electric products for international markets, as well as regional adoptions for the North American market. The committee members are given an opportunity to participate, review and give input in the development of product standards.

The first order of business has been the development of the first ever OPEI/ANSI standard for an electric robotic mower. Fourteen member company representatives are currently reviewing IEC standards for electric robotic mowers and identifying modifications for the North American market. Projects are underway to develop standards for battery/electric chain saws, lawn hedge trimmers and lawn trimmers.

As sales and demand for battery/electric driven outdoor power equipment increases, OPEI is expanding its market statistics collection to capture and track the growth of this product segment.

OPEI Announces 2013-2014 Officers and Board of Directors

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) recently announced its 2013-2014 Officers and Board of Directors during the OPEI Annual Meeting in Williamsburg, VA, June 18-20, 2013.

Officers for the 2013-2014 year include:

OPEI chairman - Todd Teske, chairman, president & CEO, Briggs & Stratton

OPEI vice chair - Paul Mullet, president, Excel Industries

OPEI secretary/treasurer - Lee Sowell, president of outdoor products, Techtronic Industries, N.A., Inc.

“OPEI is entering this new fiscal year stronger than ever, both organizationally and financially,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI. “The OPEI Board reflects the impressive scope and breadth of our membership. Our membership is at a record high, representing small engine manufacturers with a range of power sources, utility vehicle manufacturers, and a myriad of small engine equipment manufacturers and suppliers serving a broad range of industries and uses.”

"OPEI’s long history and strong membership put us in a unique position to make sure we are bringing good quality high value products to the marketplace,” said OPEI chair, Todd Teske. “Our collective strength to influence legislation in order to protect our employees and consumers and to communicate accurate information about our industry will continue to be our focus into the future. For the over hundred million consumers who use our products, we want them to know we are working hard for them.”

Continuing their service on the OPEI Board are:

Immediate past chairman - Daniel Ariens, president & CEO, Ariens Company

Marc Dufour, president, Club Car

Peter Hampton, president, Active Exhaust Corporation

Jean Hlay, president and chief operating officer, MTD Products Inc.

Steven Bly, executive vice president, Echo Inc.

Ed Cohen, vice president of Government & Industry Relations, Honda North America

Michael Hoffman, chairman, chief executive officer, The Toro Company

Tim Merrett, vice president, AT&T Global Platform Turf & Utility, Deere & Company

Fred Whyte, president, Stihl Incorporated

New to the board this year are:

Tom Cromwell, president, Kohler Engines, Kohler Company

John Cunningham, president, Consumer Products Group, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.

Maine Eyeing to Ban E15 Fuel - Kris Kiser Comments

MAINE SHOULD LIMIT ETHANOL IN GASOLINE

By Kris Kiser, President OPEI, Special to the Bangor Daily News

January 28 -- I read with interest the story about Maine eyeing to ban fuel with more than 10 percent ethanol in the Jan. 11 article http://bangordailynews.com/2013/01/10/news/state/maine-dep-working-on-plan-to-ban-gas-blends-with-more-than-10-percent-ethanol/           

Hats off to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and hopefully Maine lawmakers in their quest to ensure consumer safety.

As the head of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, an organization that has been battling the introduction of higher ethanol blend fuels for several years, Maine’s effort to protect consumers from the risky and harmful effects of ethanol 15’s use should be lauded.

Ethanol 15 (E15) was prematurely introduced into the marketplace. In a rush to introduce a renewable fuel, E15 now appears at gas pumps across the country, causing confusion, anxiety, anger — and engine failure.

Too many citizens do not understand that E15 is only approved for use in 2001 and newer automobiles or flex-fuel vehicles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This means any other product with an engine is incompatible with E15, by law.

The risks of misfueling with higher ethanol fuel blends are not trivial, especially for Maine. Engine failure from using E15 is no small matter. For one, the forest and paper industry are greatly impacted when the engines of their chainsaws, chippers and grinders fail. Boats, snowmobiles and utility vehicles have stranded their users when their engine quits. Expensive landscape, snow removal and other power equipment have been ruined. These scenarios are not only inconvenient, but dangerous.

Even automobile makers are not convinced it is good for vehicle engines. We fully concur with AAA’s (Triple A) call that the sale and use of E15 “be suspended until additional gas pump labeling and consumer education efforts are implemented to mitigate problems for motorists and their vehicles.”

We agree consumers should always have a choice. Our country should move toward energy independence, and other fuel sources should be investigated. But to introduce a fuel that is potentially dangerous and harmful to so many engine products is reckless.

The totality of EPA’s education effort on E15 for the 150 million Americans using hundreds of millions of products is a 3-by-3-inch label at the gas pump. We find this wholly inadequate and dangerous.

OPEI is asking members of Congress to halt the sale of E15 and not ask consumers to bear the brunt of this hasty decision. Then, revisit our renewable fuel policy and make sure we introduce a biofuel that is safe and sustainable. If we truly believe in energy independence, it shouldn’t come at the price of putting our citizens at risk.

Maine’s action to preempt the known problems of E15 should be a model for other states who wish to protect their citizens from the dangers of this new fuel blend.

www.bangordailynews.com     

OPEI Announces 2012-2013 Officers and Directors

Alexandria, VA – June 28, 2012 – The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) today announced its 2012-2013 Officers and Board of Directors during its 60th Annual Meeting in Colorado Springs, CO June 20-22, 2012.

Officers for the 2012-2013 year include:

OPEI Chairman Daniel Ariens, President, Ariens Company;

OPEI Vice Chairman Todd Teske, Chairman, President & CEO, Briggs & Stratton Corp.; and

Secretary/Treasurer Paul Mullet, President, Excel Industries.

“Our new officers will lead the organization in an important year for our industry,” said Kris Kiser, President and CEO of OPEI. “A variety of legislative, regulatory and market issues will be addressed by the new OPEI Board of Directors, who bring strategic thinking and expertise to the direction we will take.”

Added OPEI Chair Dan Ariens, “The vantage point that OPEI represents is more relevant than at any other time in the organization’s 60-year history. Our members are in a unique position to provide firsthand knowledge of how legislative actions might affect the employees in this industry and the consumers who rely on power equipment products every day.”

Continuing their service on the OPEI Board are:

Immediate Past Chairman, Jean Hlay, President and Chief Operating Officer, MTD Products Inc.;

Steven Bly, Executive Vice President, Echo Inc;

Ed Cohen, Vice President, Government & Industry Relations, Honda North America;

Michael Hoffman, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, The Toro Company;

Michael Jones, President of the Americas, Husqvarna; and

Fred Whyte, President, Stihl Incorporated.

New to the board this year are:

Marc Dufour, President, Club Car;

Peter Hampton, President, Active Exhaust Corporation; and

Lee Sowell, President – Outdoor Products, Techtronic Industries, N.A., Inc.

About the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is an international trade association representing more than 84 small engine, utility vehicle and outdoor power equipment manufacturers and suppliers worldwide. OPEI is a recognized Standards Development Organization for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and active internationally through the International Standards Organization (ISO) in the development of safety and performance standards. For more information, visit www.OPEI.org.

OPEI Says EPA Decision Puts Consumers and Equipment at Risk

Alexandria, Va. – June 18 — The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute issues a warning today that the EPA’s ruling providing their approval of the sale of 15 percent ethanol (E15) into the U.S. consumer marketplace for automobiles made since 2001, is dangerous. The government’s test results that show E15 is harmful to outdoor power equipment, boats and marine engines and other non-road engine products. The fuel used for automobiles and other engine products would have to be divided, substantially increasing the risk for misfueling, significant engine damage and consumer hazard.

“For the first time in American history, fuel used for some automobiles may no longer safe for any non-road products. It may, in fact, destroy or damage generators, chain saws, utility vehicles, lawn mowers, boats and marine engines, snowmobiles, motorcycles, ATVs, and more,” says Kris Kiser, President and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, one of the industry groups who have been sending warnings to the federal government about E15.

In September 2011, members of the Engine Products Group (OPEI, National Marine Manufacturers Association, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Global Automakers) filed a formal legal challenge to EPA’s E15 partial waiver decision.  The EPG asked the DC Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the E15 waiver decision. The decision on this matter is expected to be issued at any time by the court.

Said OPEI’s Kiser, “EPA purports to educate tens of millions of Americans using hundreds of millions of engine products, asserting it will educate these users with a 3 inch by 3 inch pump label. It’s frighteningly inadequate.”

Many times OPEI has pointed out that the EPA’s prior experience with the introduction of new fuels shows that labeling alone is insufficient to prevent misfueling. As the EPA led the transition to unleaded fuels, the Agency reported a misfueling rate of nearly 15 percent almost ten years after the introduction of unleaded gasoline, and even with a physical barrier at the pumps.

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is an international trade association representing more than 80 engine and equipment manufacturers worldwide in the utility, forestry, landscape, and lawn and garden industry. OPEI is a recognized Standards Development Organization for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and active internationally through the International Standards Organization (ISO) in the development of safety standards. For more information, visit www.OPEI.org.

OPEI Announces New VP of Industry Affairs

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) announced Oct. 4 the appointment of Gerry Coons as its new VP of industry affairs.

Coons, an engineer and MBA, is a 30-year OPE industry veteran, having most recently served as general manager at the Husqvarna production facility in Orangeburg, S.C. In his new role with OPEI, Coons will oversee and manage ISO and ANSI standards work and regulatory relationships with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), California Air Resources Board (CARB), Health Canada and Canadian Provincial Authorities.

“OPEI is strengthening its core capabilities to better serve our members’ needs,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI. “Gerry’s substantial background with equipment manufacturing and regulation brings ‘real world’ experience to our organization. It is imperative that OPEI continue to be the global leader in the harmonization of rules and standards for outdoor power equipment, and with Gerry’s oversight, we’ll be able to grow and bolster the association’s role.”

OPEI Issues Tamper-Resistance Compliance Guidelines

September 26 -- The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) issued a new Guidance Document outlining best practices and guidelines on tamper-resistance compliance for small engines and lawn and garden products.

Over the past year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated enforcement actions that led to the seizure of small engines and lawn and garden products because of concerns that the engines were equipped with carburetors that could be illegally adjusted by repair facilities and consumers. Such illegal tampering could potentially cause emissions in excess of the engine’s EPA-certified configuration. In these cases, EPA determined that the carburetors were equipped with inadequate tamper-resistant features.

To prevent such illegal tampering and adjustments, carburetors typically have limiter caps or seals that prevent adjustments outside of the certified configuration. In some products, adjustments can only be made using special tools exclusively supplied by a manufacturer to their repair networks and dealers.

OPEI hopes to improve the current process with the Guidance Document on Tamper-Resistance Compliance. “OPEI urges all the affected carburetor and engine manufacturers and importers to closely review and promptly adopt the suggested best practices in the OPEI Guidance,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI.

The Guidance recommends the following:

• Carburetor or engine manufacturers should first obtain pre-approval by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which tests each carburetor to ensure that its tamper-resistant mechanisms are compliant.

• CARB pre-approval - along with detailed descriptions and pictures of the tamper-resistant mechanism or device and the manufacturer’s special tools - should be submitted electronically to the U.S. EPA Certification Office as part of engine certification applications for the upcoming 2012 and subsequent model year engines.

“As long as this documentation is submitted to EPA and the tamper-resistant mechanisms have been produced and installed as approved by CARB, then manufacturers should be able to manufacture and/or import engines and products without market disruption,” stated OPEI Counsel, Bill Guerry.

In those circumstances where CARB has not tested or approved the carburetor, manufacturers should submit documentation to EPA on their own tamper-resistant testing results (pursuant to OPEI Guidance) demonstrating satisfactory tamper resistance.

OPEI expects EPA to issue its own enforcement alert and certification guidance this fall that will provide clarifications that are similar to the OPEI Guidance Document.

The OPEI Guidance can be downloaded at:

http://members.opei.org/about-us/resource-center/OPEIGuidanceDocument.pdf  

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