Eric L. said:
I thought all parts of the US use some ethanol (maybe not as much as 10%) in their gasoline as an oxygenate. So I am surprised people complain about it, since we don't have much choice what they use as an oxygenate. And it is better for the air.
No. Not for the last few years. Not everywhere that's for sure.
Look up MTBE. It was the oxygenate of choice for the last few years. Pushed most heavily by California, of course.
It takes the place of Ethanol.
California was the first state to adopt it and push everybody else into it.
Now, California was the first state to outlaw it. Gets into the water supply and causes cancer.
So now we are going to Ethanol.
That's a problem.
Ethanol attracts water (After all, it is just alcohol....or "dry gas").
So you can't ship it via pipeline.
And it has to be put in Gasoline at the last possible point to be effective.
So, it has to be trucked to the various distribution terminals (Downstream of the refineries).
So it costs more.
Here's an overview of how Politics can kill us.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=16495
Homer