New York Times Editorializes Against Increased Ethanol...

[Yaris Hilton]

Allowing a higher percentage of ethanol in gasoline will not make us less dependent on such foreign energy sources

Russell Harding - New York Times - Nov 27, 2009

A call to end the senselessness --Ed.

The ethanol industry, once the darling of corn growers, environmentalists and the auto industry, has fallen on hard times. Producers spent this year caught between falling ethanol prices and rising corn costs, causing many to go bankrupt. In response, they are pushing the Environmental Protection Agency to increase the amount of ethanol they can blend into gasoline to 15 percent, up from the current 10 percent. Allowing this, however, would only double down on a discredited environmental policy without solving the industry’s fundamental economic problem.

That problem is simple: Ethanol prices trend higher and lower along with the price of gasoline, yet the cost of producing ethanol tends to rise with demand, since higher ethanol production exerts upward pressure on the price of corn. In a free market, corn prices might be expected to eventually fall as the market adjusts to increased demand. But because the government heavily promotes ethanol use through subsidies and regulation, the market is continually strained.... [Read More]

[ALS]

The problem with Ethanol is at 10% it is already causing major problems with two cycle engines. When you increase the mixture to 15%, vehicles not made to run on fuel with higher than E10 start having major mechanical problems with fuel pumps and seals not manufactured to deal with Alcohol in the fuel system.

Here is a story on what happened with Baltimore's public works department when someone accidentally filled the city's fuel tanks with something higher than E10.

Baltimore City general services department director Khalil Zaeid said Tuesday that preliminary lab results on fuel that fouled the engines of about 70 city police cars indicated "unusually high concentrations of ethanol" that may have contributed to the breakdowns. Mr. Zaeid said officials initially thought the tanks at the city fuel depot where the cars filled up over the weekend might have inadvertently been stocked with diesel instead of the unleaded gas city patrol cars use. But now it appears that ethanol is the culprit.

Baltimore Sun/police_car_fuel_snafu

To get around this manufactures need to start producing vehicles that all can be run on E10-E85 fuel. The problem is it will take twenty years to get 90% of the passenger vehicles changed over.

But as usual when it comes to Government Bureaucrats, they are usually a dime short and a day late.

[jimepting]

Just another ag industry stupid government program running its predictable course. I've never thought much of ethanol for the obvious reasons. Now it is good to see someone with some press credentials getting the word out.

[Jalen]

I've watched Colorado go from an "ethanol in the winter" state to "ethanol year round". Not by any government mandate, but because the suppliers of the fuel only sell ethanol fuel any more. Regular gas prices are markedly higher. Why? not because the gas costs more. In fact the ethanol costs a hell of a lot more. No, it's because the government puts our tax money into forcing the use of ethanol.

My milage has suffered greatly as the mandate has gone into effect, my power to the wheels is less, making me have to push the pedal down farther. My cars have worn out faster... especialy my older truck and sedan. My dad has a E85 capable van, but after a few rounds of that, even his engine was in need of serious repair.

We need to stop this idiotic mandate to stuff corn ethanol down the country's throat.