Posted on 04/27/2006 10:45:52 AM PDT by Brian Allen
Amid the current panic about gas prices many people are embracing ethanol. But that's not such a good idea
During the comment period for the RFG (reformulated gas) program, supporters of ethanol had argued that the volatile organic compound (VOC) emission standards in the program -- 42 U. S. C. 7545 (k) (3) (B) (i) -- would preclude the use of ethanol in RFG because adding ethanol to gasoline increases its volatility and raises VOC emissions, especially in the summertime.
Background The American Petroleum Institute v. the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [Docket #94-1502 (Heard by the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and decided on April 28, 1995)]
If there were ever a time when the truth in advertising standards should be put back into place, it's now -- during the current (third) attempt to convince the public that the massive use of corn-derived ethanol in our gasoline supply will alleviate our need for foreign oil. Ultimately, the answer to just one question determines ethanol's actual usefulness as a gasoline extender: "If the government hadn't mandated this product, would it survive in a free market?" Doubtful -- but the misinformation superhighway has been rerouted to convince the public its energy salvation is at hand ....
(Excerpt) Read more at businessweek.com ...
That's funny. It's a date I'll never forget either.
Though, I'll wager we remember it for very different reasons.
Yes. Not precisely, but I knew.
" - but I don't know about ships - are they run on diesel?"
Ships can run on all sorts of stuff -- including kites.
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Thank you! I have been saying this, to rolling eyes for some time now. Too many people don't realize we are in as much trouble with water in this country as we are with oil, maybe more so.
Well, *some* may believe it's the 100th Meridian, but I have always maintained that it's at 97.4° W, along I-35 in Oklahoma.
I've lived on each side of it and it's observable by even an untrained eye - except I've always called it the "tree line" (not the mountainous kind at elevation). To the east, trees, greenery and dark brown soil. To the west, tan shades of earth colors, scrub brush, and red soil.
That's a very glittering generality, but I'm just a 97.4° rebel contra, what can I say?
Hmmm, I best not *touch* that, lol. Unless, it's because you also know it's Sophia Loren's birthday eve.
Very interesting, I missed that. It seems ridiculous at first glance (like the spaghetti tree joke of years ago on BBC), but it must make sense to people who are using it. I'd sure want to tie some tails on it, though, lol!
Well, anyway, I asked that because I was wondering if Hawaii produced cellulose ethanol from sugar cane, what it would cost in money or energy to transport it.
Fish waste? Couldn't they use poi? It's got to be of *some use* to someone, lol.
I guess whale blubber is *out,* too. And we could probably all fly hot air balloons instead of airplanes to go long distances. Oh, geeze, what was I thinking? What about Conestoga wagons?
See, they didn't ask me. Granted, those scrub brush to the west of *my line* are the beginnings of the more arid area, but I suppose I was being too provincial in my POV - considering they mean for the *whole* US.
Over at the 100th, the scrub is even scarcer. The Plains Indians, as opposed to the Civilized Ones, chose to stay just west of that 97.4 line for some reason.
Nope. Not even close. But I did not know that.
That should be where the fossil fuel "aromatics" could be useful, lol.
I used to agree to everythingyou posited, but now I'm not sure about this line. If W's strategery turns out to be correct (we won't know for 5-10 years), then we'll have to play an active part in the rest of the worl to keep all the nutcase breeding grounds in the ME cleaned out. Had we cleaned up Afghanistan ahead of time, UBL might not have gottn the WTC events off.
Anyway, I'm ok with "biofuel" fads, but even if we had tech to run the entire economy off "cold peanut fusion" or something, we'd still have to keep the ME'ers on the road to prosperity since the only leaders they have want to train them to strap bombs on and dance with Israelis or New Yorkers....
" ... Rudolf Diesel invented the diesel engine in the late 19th century to run on a variety of fuels, including heavy mineral oil and vegetable oil. His engine has since been modified to run on polluting petroleum fuel."
That made me suspicious of all the test results, as they might be skewed somehow.
Still, I hope they can do something viable with fish oil, especially for those in the Alaskan bush who need generator fuel, as they pointed out. I guess "raw fish oil" would be from dark meat fish, like maybe amberjacks or some trash fish that people don't really like to eat very much.
Sometimes it's Rosh Hashanah and sometimes it's Yom Kippur. I just always have a party on Sophia Loren's birthday (doesn't everybody?), so I always remember it.
Are you implying that spaghetti doesn't grow on trees?
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