What does John Kerry stand for? [forum post from the left]

E-thepeople ^ | 6-24-04

[dufekin]

Actually one can buy ethanol fuel here in Oklahoma today, and there are several vehicles already on the market that can use it.

As the current instability in oil-producing regions intensifies and oil prices fluctuate wildly with terrorist-related supply disruptions that are becoming more common in Saudi Arabia, more Americans will use ethanol, and more vehicles will burn it.

[SJackson]

Incidentally, Occidental is the parent company of Hooker Chemical, of Love Canal fame.

Kind of, Occidental bought Hooker, along with the Love Canal problem.

[SunkenCiv]

Ethanol used to be found more often as a fuel additive, a so-called oxygenating agent, basically a futile attempt to reduce pollution that should be dumped. Same goes for MTBE, which prevailed due to lower cost.

Professor decries use of ethanol in gasoline
by Jessica Keltz
Ithaca Journal
Saturday, August 2, 2003
Posted by Behind Liberal Lines

David Pimentel, an emeritus professor of ecology, has been studying ethanol for about 25 years, leading a Department of Energy study on the subject in 1980... "It takes more energy to produce a gallon of ethanol than you get out of it," Pimentel said. "The reason they're producing it is taxpayer money has been increasing. This is what makes it profitable."

Spirit of the road
by Eli Kintisch
New Scientist
20 January 2001

Once seen as a potential fuel in its own right, ethanol proved too expensive to compete with petrol. There are exceptions, such as Brazil, where fuel is up to 24 per cent ethanol made from sugar cane--but only with the help of government subsidies... The fledgling ethanol industry... lost out to cheaper MTBE. Then MTBE began to turn up in wells, lakes and aquifers around the country... Apart from the US, few countries make much use of MTBE. But in Europe its future could be boosted by plans to remove benzene from petrol.