The current oil crisis has helped to raise awareness of the potential of ethanol fuels, but getting people to put ethanol in their tanks requires an extra PR push. Score one
for the "Yellow Dime" event, which was held last month at the Sioux Valley Co-op in Watertown, SD. Drivers who stopped by the co-op now have the ability to easily add
ethanol fuel with their regular fill-'er-up - a special blender pump was installed to select the level of ethanol they wanted to add to their tanks. To encourage this, motorists
at the April 14 launch of the blender pump received one yellow dime back for every gallon of ethanol they purchased (the coin's unlikely hue was inspired by the fuel's corn
origins). More than $500 in yellow dimes was distributed, with the idea they would continue to circulate locally to inspire ethanol blending. The Sioux Valley Co-op teamed with
Glacial Lakes Energy LLC, the South Dakota Corn Growers Association and the Great Western Bank of Watertown for this wonderfully "corny" promotion.