EPA OKs higher ethanol blends

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday was announcing its approval of blending higher concentrations of ethanol into gasoline for newer vehicles, allowing mixtures with up to 15 percent of the corn-based fuel at the pump.

The current maximum blend for newer vehicles that use regular gasoline is 10 percent. The EPA announced the increase Wednesday for vehicles manufactured since 2007.

The move, which comes a month before November’s elections, is politically popular in rural farm areas. But ethanol faces strong opposition from the auto industry, environmentalists, cattle ranchers, food companies and a coalition of other groups.

Nebraska’s senators, who both strongly support the state’s ethanol industry, split over Wednesday’s announcement. Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson called the move an important first step that will enable Nebraska’s ethanol industry to grow. Republican Mike Johanns criticized the EPA for “foot-dragging” on approving E15 fuel for vehicles manufactured in 2001 and later. EPA approval of E15 for those vehicles is expected in December, after further testing is completed.

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20101013/NEWS/710139866#epa-oks-higher-ethanol-blends

[PoliticAverse]

1. The ethanol scam continues. n/t

[Confusious]

2. ethanol works for carborated cars

Not really for fuel injected. the computer in fuel injected cars already decides the optimum mixer for the least pollution in terms of carbon, nitrates and carbon monoxide.

I have always had the crappiest car compared to most people, and even mine has fuel injection. Does anyone really have carboration anymore?

adding ethanol is a giveaway to the corporations.

[TheMadMonk]

3. Carburator, Carburetion. Yes they still exists but not in newer cars.

However, even in fuel injected vehicles, ethanol will actually improve your MPG at least if doing a lot of cruising.

"Run it till it stops." tests (albeit not very scientific) run by a current affairs program managed to shock the drivers and the experts a while back here. Higher pecentage blends performed better than lower percentage which performed better than petrol alone.

Now this says nothing about power at the lights and fuel economy in stop start traffic, which quite probably suffer at least a little. I have a suspiscion ethanol's slower burn and inertia interact constructively when cruising.


Not at all fond of how the stuff is produced (except in bottles with pictures of old men and medals on the label) but if it's there and you do a lot of long distance driving it could be well worth considering.

[Confusious]

5. Even if if it does, I still think as a people, we waste to much money on cars.

Too much money, too much space, too much time.

and this desire for the car is killing the environment.

[TheMadMonk]

6. Yes and no. The personal people mover is just too damned useful to abandon.

We certainly do need to expand public transport solutions for commuting, but we can not put a bus stop or railway station at every street corner.

And trends in vehicle manufacturing and design are certainly going to have a drastic impact on future vehicle numbers over the coming decade or so. Very little built in the last 10-15 years will outlive a second owner. The trickle down of used vehicles to the lowest income earners will dry up as older vehicles become unservicable and the modern vehicles fail to replace them.

However, in the end there will ultimately remain a need for personal people movers.

And between now and a time where that need can be fulfilled by autonomous hire cars, every tiny little bit helps.

[Confusious]

7. I would prefer this

http://www.taxi2000.com/index.html

[Oldtimeralso]

4. I wonder what this will do to the price of corn?

Corn goes up
Beef goes up
other grains used in animal feed go up
pork goes up
bread goes up
breakfast cereal goes up
and on and on and on