[McQueen]

New York Times
By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN
Published: May 8, 2009

The Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to make an important and far-reaching decision this year that will affect more than 500 million gasoline engines powering everything from large pickups to family cars to lawn mowers: whether to grant the ethanol industry's request to raise the maximum amount of ethanol that can be added to gasoline.

That request has engine manufacturers and consumer advocates worried about possible damage, service station owners in a tizzy over the financial and legal implications and a leading petroleum industry group saying the move is unwise and premature.

Specifically, ethanol producers are asking that the maximum ethanol content in the most common blend of gasoline be increased from 10 percent a limit set about three decades ago to as much as 15 percent. The blend the industry hopes will become common is known as E15, but the E.P.A. could approve a blend between E10 and E15.

The full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/automobiles/10ETHANOL.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

 

[t100rc]

If this wasn't a public "family friendly" forum, this post would start with a string of cuss words ...

Every time I think about the knee-jerk reactive replacement of MTBE with Ethanol a couple of years ago, it infuriates me all over again ... now we're going to have the 'benefit' of MORE engine-destroying, carburetor-clogging, rubber part-eating alcohols in our fuels ...

Stupid bureaucrats ...

 

[jimballard]

......and the biggest kick in the pants is, if you choose to believe, that the energy it takes to make the ethanol, along with the amount of crop loss in food products, makes the stuff simply a huge waste.

But, then again, the ethanol lobby says it isn't true, and I am, as always, the "village idiot": Jim

 

[t100rc]

... not to mention that you get worse mileage on the ethanol ...

 

[McQueen]

Does your T100 seem more susceptible to the crappy modern gas?

Mine does. And I've been seeing a lot more pinging-loss-of-power-T100 threads recently.

 

[t100rc]

I only run premium grade fuels (the only ones available in my region are Shell and Chevron / Texaco ... and the latter are few and far between) and only their 93 octane. To that I add Octane Supreme to bring up the octane and replace the lead. Occasionally I put a LITTLE SeaFoam in the tank just to help combat the clogging properties of the ethanol. I usually kill the fuel a little ways down the street before I get home to get the float bowls mostly empty before I shut her down. So far, I haven't had any problems ... In fact, the old girl seems to be running pretty well these days ... we'll see how she does once the temperature starts climbing ...

 

[Snakeoil]

MTBE is nasty stuff and quite frankly, putting it in gasoline was a mistake from the beginning. They are major water supplies that are ruined because of MTBE. The stuff does not break down or attach itself to the soil as other substances do. If a station tank leaks fuel, the MTBE will continue to migrate thru the soil until it eventually hits ground water where it rides all the way to the next water supply.

For the record, I was equally upset when they removed MTBE until I started reading up on the stuff. It's bad news and be happy it's gone. I know of gas stations that were next to local reservoirs that are not closed and have the telltale plastic pipes coming out of the ground to vent the years of leaking gasoline. Nobody talks about that stuff, but I'd love to see the results of a test done on that reservoir.
regards,
Rob

 

[ALR154]

As Jim Ballard mentioned, ethanol is expensive to make and to move to point of use. Corn, or whatever you are using, has to be cooked to make alcohol. Also, ethanol can not be transported by pipeline like other fuels, and must be trucked where ever it needs to go. Pipelines carry all types of petroleum products. Gasoline, fuel oil, kerosene and ect. The different fuels are kept seperated by a slug of water. Can't do that with alcohol, since it mixes with water. IMHO, corn is better used to fatten beef cows so as to create a sizzle on my gas grill.