Free Republic

Research findings released today indicate that mid-range ethanol blends—fuel mixtures with more ethanol than 10% (E10) but less than 85% (E85)—can in some cases provide better fuel economy than regular unleaded gasoline, even in standard, non-flex-fuel vehicles. The new study, co-sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), also found that mid-range ethanol blends reduce harmful tailpipe emissions. Previous assumptions held that ethanol’s lower energy content directly correlates with lower fuel economy for drivers. Those assumptions were found to be incorrect. Instead, the new research suggests that there is an optimal blend level of...

<p>Remember the federal oxygenate mandate that gave us the troublesome gasoline additive, MTBE?</p> <p>Gov. Davis tried to get a waiver from the mandate, but the alternative to MTBE is ethanol, produced from corn squeezin's from Iowa, which looks more winnable for President Bush than California. Or perhaps it's just coincidence or partisanship (surely not science) that led to the waiver request being rejected.</p>

<p>Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has asked the Bush administration to waive a gasoline additive requirement that California officials believes will cause a huge and wasteful increase in prices at the pump while impeding the state's air pollution efforts.</p> <p>Under current federal law aimed at curbing smog, the state must add an ``oxygenate'' to gasoline. But in 1999, California banned the oxygenate methyl tertiary-butyl ether, or MTBE, because it was polluting drinking ground water across the state.</p>

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - A gasoline additive once lauded for cleaning up the air is being phased out because it's also contaminating drinking water. Now its producers want Congress to protect them against what could be billions of dollars in cleanup costs.</p>