E15 coming to a pump near you

[milepost43]

The latest news means drivers may soon have to pay more attention when filling up. The EPA says its testing indicates E15 poses no danger to 2001 through 2006 vehicles. Newer models were already cleared for E15 but it is not recommended for vehicles from the 2000 model year and before. The Agency also said it is not granting a waiver to allow E15 use in motorcycles, heavy-duty vehicles, or non-road engines.

40% of the corn crop goes to ethanol.
We all need to write our congressmen to stop this foolishness.
www.investorvillage.com/smbd.asp?mb=4288&mn=64968&pt=msg&mid=10023552
The nearby chart, based on data from the Department of Agriculture, shows the remarkable trend over a decade. In 2001, only 7% of U.S. corn went for ethanol, or about 707 million bushels. By 2010, the ethanol share was 39.4%, or nearly five billion bushels out of total U.S. production of 12.45 billion bushels. Four of every 10 rows of corn now go to produce fuel for American cars or trucks, not food or feed. This carve out of nearly half of the U.S. corn corp to fuel is increasing even as global food supply is struggling to meet rising demand.
U.S. farmers account for about 39% of global corn production and about 16% of that crop is exported, so U.S. corn stocks can influence the world price. Chicago Board of Trade corn March futures recently hit 30-month highs of $6.67 a bushel, up from $4 a bushel a year ago.

[tinker1]

Am I missing the point here? Farmers are getting more for their crop. It helps the environment. You can use an additive to prevent damage. Sounds like a win/win. Educate me, please, as to why this is so bad.

I buy fuel for the boat and lawnmowers at that place on 41 in Cartersville (no ethanol).

[milepost43]

Think this says it all...............
Nov 22,2010 ATHENS, Greece— In a mea culpa of sorts,
former Vice President Al Gore on Monday said
he made a mistake in supporting corn-based
ethanol while he was in office, admitting he
was more interested in farm votes for his
presidential run than what was best for the
environment.

Like most politicians in the late 1990s, Gore
supported huge subsidies for ethanol made
from corn — a decision that was later blamed
for higher food prices.
www.msnbc.msn.com/cleanprint/CleanPrintProxy.aspx?1295810907073

[bigman51]

I don't know about anybody else but my 2004 truck has gone from getting 20 to 22 mpg on the highway to maybe 15 if I am lucky since everyone sells gas with ethanol. I don't much believe those that advertise ethanol free gasoline during warm weather for your outboard engines since I fill my truck up at the same location. You judge for yourself if it is worth the sacrifice for the gain. My vote would be a big resounding NO!

[soretoe]

NASCAR is testing E-15 in 2011, its coming for sure now.

[groundloop]

Jan 24, 2011 0:52:10 GMT -1 bigman51 said:

I don't know about anybody else but my 2004 truck has gone from getting 20 to 22 mpg on the highway to maybe 15 if I am lucky

E-10 has about 96% the energy content of straight gasoline, so you'd only be seeing a 4% drop in mileage when comparing straight gasoline to E-10. Something else is going on if you're seeing that big a drop in mileage.

Everybody needs to remember where the big push to use ethanol in fuels is coming from - big agri-businesses that profit from ethanol. The petition to the EPA to allow E-15 in certain automobiles was initiatied by Archer-Daniels-Midland and a group of 40 or so other companies associated with ethanol production. And speaking of big businesses, if Nascar is testing it there's no doubt that a big sponsorship deal is involved.

Also, what the EPA has done is to test vehicles from certain years and verify that E-15 doesn't adversely effect them. They're saying that E-15 may be allowed to be used in those cars, not that it's mandatory yet. Whether or not it comes to a gas pump near you depends on whether or not oil companies think they'll be able to sell enough to make it profitable.

I'm also not convinced that using corn to make ethanol for vehicles is a wise choice. They've gotten the process more efficient, but it still takes a lot of energy to make a gallon of ethanol. More and more ethanol production is going to be based on waste products, switchgrass, sugarcane and such - those can be converted a lot more efficiently than corn.

[ProMo]

Thanx for the info, maybe this website can help us combat that situation www.gasbuddy.com

[Humperdink]

read a book called "the emporer wears no clothes". hemp is way more efficient for producing ethanol than corn- and that combined with textiles and the many other things its used for would create an entirely new multi billion dollar industry in america. sure it would take some jobs from other industries but would make alot more than it would remove. as for the guy with the bad gas mileage--check your oxygen sensors, air filter, distributor (if you have one), spark plug wires, and spark plugs.

[pbmang]

Jan 23, 2011 16:31:18 GMT -1 tinker1 said:

Am I missing the point here? Farmers are getting more for their crop. It helps the environment. You can use an additive to prevent damage. Sounds like a win/win. Educate me, please, as to why this is so bad.

I buy fuel for the boat and lawnmowers at that place on 41 in Cartersville (no ethanol).

Ethanol does not work well for boat motors. The ethanol in the tank will cause condensation if left in the tank. Everyone knows water and engines do not mix well. Also, there are certain fuel lines that were used in the marine industry that are not able to deal with the ethanol and the lines break down and cause motor issues.