Senate gives ethanol boost as gas additive

Sac Bee ^ | 6/6/03 | David Whitney

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate approved legislation Thursday that will double the volume of corn-based ethanol added to gasoline after rejecting concerns in California that the mandate could add a dime to the per-gallon pump price.

The 67-29 vote came after a week of debate in which Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., fought unsuccessfully for a provision allowing states such as California to bar ethanol additives if they can meet federal clean air standards without it.

[snarkpup]

corn lobby

[Billthedrill]

Well, they'll be dancing over at Arthur Daniels Midland, to be sure.

[dirtboy]

With ethanol, we first subsidize the corn and then subsidize the fuel. It would be cheaper to just burn money, as you'd only have to pay for it once.

[gov_bean_ counter]

This underscores the fact that for the Libs, it really isn't about oil after all.

[dirtboy]

This underscores the fact that for the Libs, it really isn't about oil after all.

Nor is it for Senator Ethanol, er, I mean Senator Dole (a fitting last name for a person if there ever was).

[Carry_Okie]

The most controversial oxygenate is MTBE, which will be banned under the legislation.

Good.

While MTBE has helped lower pollution levels, it has leaked out of storage tanks in some areas, such as near Lake Tahoe, and polluted groundwater.

The Tahoe experiment collected MTBE in a tank of rainwater. The stuff condenses in clouds.

Because of these problems, California already had ordered a ban on MTBE effective next year.

With Davis extending it every chance he got.

[RichardW]

What's the sense of this? How much energy is burned to produce ethanol?

[CyberAnt]

Yep! Daschle territory!!

[Freedom4US]

It's got to be a defacto energy net-loss. First, fuel (gasoline and oil) is used by the tractors to plant the stuff, and the pesticides/herbicides are derived from petroleum in some cases? Better off burning corn itself, actually. Some fellow figured out a good corn-burning stove, heats his house with it. Cheap and burns hot.