Posted on 03/12/2019 6:33:55 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
President Trump on Tuesday advanced a plan that would expand the use of ethanol in gasoline across the U.S., a move pushed by corn farmers but expected to draw ire from the oil and gas industry.
The latest step pushes forward a proposal that would allow the year-round sale of gasoline blended with up to 15 percent ethanol, known as E15. Previously, E15 was restricted under air pollution requirements between June 1 and Sept. 15, as science shows burning ethanol in warmer temperature leads to heightened ground-level ozone pollution and smog. The new plan will effectively lift those sales barriers.
Also under the plan, Trump will make it harder for refiners to trade credits for biofuel use known as renewable identification numbers (RINs).
Currently, refiners and importers of natural gas must blend their fuels with ethanol before sale or purchase RINs sold on the market.
The administration’s RIN reform would include requiring public disclosure of RIN, limit the length of time that nonrefineries or importers can hold a RIN and improve compliance obligations on a more frequent basis. The White House last October directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to initiate a rulemaking to expand waivers for E15 and change way RINs were traded on the market. Tuesday’s proposed rule very closely resembles the plan put forth by Trump.
The EPA on Tuesday said it will be looking for public comment on the rule and will hold a public hearing March 29.
“Consistent with President Trump’s direction, EPA is working to propose and finalize these changes by the summer driving season,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement. “We will be holding a public hearing at the end of this month to gather important feedback.”
Trump has long hinted at his plans to expand the ethanol market, a promise...
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
The broken window fallacy. But it creates jobs?>>! How is this not good for America?
Ed Wallace has talked about this for years. The EPA’s own reports on ethanol were proven to be false and manipulated.
Very disappointing. The EPA doesn’t need to hardly exist. Pay ‘em to do nothing rather than something that f’s crap up.
The increased ethanol also decreases mileage, so your "pollutants per mile" remain the same.
Not to mention the ethanol costs more to produce.
This is a sop for the farm vote.
Why? There is no shortage of crude.
(I drive a diesel, so I’m not worried about my vehicle getting ‘gummed up’ by an ‘ethanol snafu’ ... )
They ruined those with low sulfur fuel, def fluid and other things that make them get gasoline like mileage at twice the cost.
Directionally wrong.
If President Trump ever mentions this at a rally he should be booed LOUDLY. He needs to understand this is a stupid idea.
This was a ploy to help in Iowa, but I wonder what percentage of Iowans actually even care. Our daughter lives in Iowa and she and her husband are against it. Ethanol in gasoline is a huge waste and it causes all sorts of problems.
Why would we be adding an expensive less efficient fuel when we are floating on a sea of oil?
Stupidity
Ethanol is pure stupidity
Lets turn food into fuel which loses net energy
Duh !
Hydrogen is the long term answer
Trump is screwing up this and H1-B’s, *bigly*.
Wish he’d stop listening to Kushner and Ivanka.
Please dear God no!
I believe the majority of cars out there today can not handle more than 10% Ethanol. 15% will kill them.
I know my wife’s 2014 Rav4 says 10% Ethanol only.
Will the Gov’t now be buying me a new car because they will destroy my current one?
Not a fan of ethanol in gas but a lot of cars are designed to be able to run on high-ethanol mixtures and modern cars are designed to not be harmed by higher mixtures. Seems like small engine manufacturers should be able to make their stuff more durable under the realities of the day...but perhaps they like having their products be more “disposable” to increase sales.
One shouldn’t make swim suits out of material that dissolves in water or make engines that get ruined because there’s ethanol in the gas.
I’ve run ethanol-free gas from time to time, in several different vehicles, and noticed no difference in performance or mileage.
I find 89 octane gives me a better mileage/price/power balance for the average run of the mill cars I drive. The 87 is cheapest but I can feel the performance loss though mileage is better than 91 octane. I get better power with high octane but my mileage drops and the price is expensive.The mid grades are “middling” expensive but I see better mileage as the better power seems to provide more efficiency per mile which negates the extra expense per gallon as compared with octane 87. Still not as much power with 88-89 compared with higher octanes but definitely more oomph than 87, especially on hill climbs.
I have a 2018 Mercedes GLC 300 - has a turbo and they say not to put under 91 Octane in it..I decided to try 89 octane because some folks at the dealership said one could “get away with mid-grade”....been two weeks and 450 miles or so and so far no perceptible difference except I seem to be getting about a half mile to the gallon better - of course that’s a possible ‘glitch” in the figuring with different driving conditions from time to time....no pongs or other signs anything is unhappy and if there’s a power difference it’s too subtle for me to pick up on...and about 30 cents a gallon cheaper than hi-test....we seem to have similar findings.
Think cash for clunkers without the cash
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