Local gas stations still have questions about bad gas

Published 11:14 am Friday, October 14, 2011

More than 60 gas stations and co-ops were given gasoline containing higher-than-regulated levels of ethanol last Saturday, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

About 108 loads of faulty gas were delivered from the Magellan Midstream Partners Petroleum plant in Mankato to 21 communities including Austin, state officials said Wednesday in a press release.

Austin gas station workers still don’t know which local business was affected.

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A manager at the Kwik Trip on Oakland Ave. said she was unaware of the faulty deliveries; the manager at Kwik Trip on Fourth St. NW said the gasoline was not delivered to that store.

A Hy-Vee Gas employee said workers had tested the station’s gas for high contents of ethanol on Wednesday, but everything appeared up to state standard.

Minnesota gasoline cannot contain more than 10 percent ethanol, but some of the gas may have had up to 63 percent ethanol, according to the Minnesota Dept. of Commerce.

“We apologize to any motorists who may have been impacted by this incident,” Magellan spokespeople said in a press release.

Hy-Vee Gas in Albert Lea received some of the faulty gas Saturday. The station never had to suspend sales, however.

“We received fuel, but we don’t know if it was improperly blended,” said Hy-Vee manager Al Weisert.

Weisert said an independent test showed the station’s fuel was blended correctly. He said the 87 octane was at 9.5 percent and the mid-grade and high-grade fuels were 10 percent — all within target.