The end of ethanol?

[billday]

Interesting article about the ethanol boondoggle and how its days might be numbered (we can only hope!):

http://www.salon.com/2012/08/02/the_end_of_ethanol/

[motodude]

I just returned from a 4300+ mile trip around the western US.  45-50 mpg with clear gas.  30-35 with E-10.  Various  brands, various octane ratings.  With the caveat that clear gas is usually dispensed from the 91-92 octane pump--but some stations have clear gas in all available octanes. 

Tom

[Opus]

So far I have only found 2 or 3 places around Memphis that does not have E-10.
And they are not close to me at all.

[Lawrence]

The end of ethanol would be nice.  I wish I could be so optimistic as to believe that's possible.  Alas, our political system seems to only pay attention to folks with the bucks.  Agro-business has the bucks, doesn't it?   :dunno

[Rick G]

The end of that crap can't come soon enough for me, its one of the biggest cons ever perpetrated on the motoring public. just because some pea brained politician wants to get some more votes from a bunch of greenies with even smaller brains.

[argent brick]

Don't forget about the MTBE con. MTBE is a waste byproduct of refining crude oil.  The gas companies used to burn it at the refineries until the gov. said they had to quit. Some genius figured out that if it was mixed back into the gasoline it would be burnt in our cars and some of the emissions coming out the tailpipe would be lower. Tree hugging greenies loved it. Oil companies loved it. We dispose of their waste products for them as we drive and pay them for the right to do it.

The problem was the overall pollutants produced were far worse than the small improvements in tailpipe emissions.

Don't we get lower MPG with agra-gas when compared to real good ol' gasoline?  Emissions are lower, but we have to burn more fuel for the same amount of miles. WTF?

[billday]

The end of that crap can't come soon enough for me, its one of the biggest cons ever perpetrated on the motoring public. just because some pea brained politician wants to get some more votes from a bunch of greenies with even smaller brains.

Read the story. It wasn't "greenies" who made ethanol happen, it was big agriculture & their chemical company masters. Didn't hurt that every senator who ever dreamed of being president (which = 100% of them) has to make friends with all the money in Iowa.

And now it's the auto industry and big meat who might put the brakes on it.

[TimTyler]

... and big meat who might put the brakes on it.

Which is sad because lotsa corn is not a natural diet for most meaty animals.