Canadian ethanol suppliers overcomply and profit

[Chuck]

The industry is probably adding “25 per cent to 30 per cent more than is required.”

Martin Mittelstaedt - THEGLOBEANDMAIL - May 21, 2012

When the gaskets in that older car get brittle faster, dissolve plastic parts, corrode the rest of the engine, thank the ethanol industry for ruining your car. --Ed.

Federal law forces oil companies to sell gasoline in Canada with an ethanol content of 5 per cent, but the industry is going one better.

Oil refiners like ethanol so much, they’ve quietly begun selling gasoline with substantially more of the additive.

Adding ethanol – the same active ingredient that gives beer and wine drinkers a buzz – to gasoline has been controversial. While it leads to lower tailpipe emissions of air pollutants and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, the additive cuts car mileage by a few percentage points because it contains less energy than a similar volume of refined gasoline. Most ethanol is made from crops, such as corn, raising worries that turning it into fuel could raise food prices.... [Read More]

[Mendel Leisk]

Another difference between the grades is the fact that regular gasoline in Canada can include up to 10% ethanol – biofuel from grains – while the higher grades have none, Parent says.

At least at Chevron, all the pumps except the highest octane (there are 4 grades) have have stickers saying may contain up to 10% ethanol. Likely the same at other stations too.

[herm]

Its about time, it strengthens farmers and reduces consumption of fossil oil.. everyone wins.

[08EscapeHybrid]

The reason that US ethanol is cheap is because the Federal Gov't is subsidizing farmers to grow the corn, and the Canadian fuel industry is reaping the benefit. If they had to pay actual market price for the ethanol without subsidies, they probably would not do it.

[Indigo]

Corn ethanol is a joke. We need better battery chemistry and nuclear power.

[08EscapeHybrid]

Originally Posted by Indigo

Corn ethanol is a joke. We need better battery chemistry and nuclear power.

+1. Nuclear should be greatly expanded. Its one of our most reliable and economical carbon free sources of energy.

[herm]

BTW, the cartoon is wrong.. it takes 2 cups of oil to grow a bushel of corn, and you get about 2.8 gallons of ethanol from it.. could be less if the tractors and trucks were converted to NG..

[EdwinTheMagnificent]

Less ethanol , more modern safe nuclear plants.

[herm]

Your wishes are being granted, unfortunately the nukes are being built in China. So sorry!

[worthywads]

"Ethanol is also cheaper than current prices of crude oil, and doesn’t require costly refining, another plus."

Corn on the other hand requires costly harvesting, mashing, fermentation, and distillation to become ethanol.