EPA Approves E15 Gas

[pgcays]

Saw an article in yesterday's USA Today saying that the EPA just approved E15 (15% ethanol) gas. Here's the link to the article -

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries...titialskip
 
They say it's ok for 07 model year or later (with approval coming soon for 01 and newer cars), but don't think that I even remotely want to try this in a Porsche. With the E10 everywhere, I can imagine this eventually replacing it and becoming, like the E10, unavoidable.
 
Has anyone else heard this? Has Porsche put out any guidance (like don't use it).

[Budman]

I heard also and not looking forward to it. I don't even like the E10. Its been demonstrated time and again, through scientific testing and analysis that the entire ethanol program is just another government subsidized boondoggle (is that a word) that results in zero benefit to anyone except for the manufacturers of ethanol. It apparently saves nothing as far as imported oil/energy is concerned since it takes more energy to create than it saves.

[Darren]

I couldn't start my boat after this past Winter because the ethanol separated out in the tank and was laying at the bottom.  There was no reason I could find for it not to start -- I drained the carb and sure enough it was pure ethanol.  I drained the tank, refilled, and it ran great.

The shelf-life of the current ethanolated gasoline is like 3 months.  That doesn't bode well for drivers of collector cars or cars that aren't driving for months at a time.

It's all just pure nonsense and everyone knows it.  There is no environmental benefit and the only reason is that it's yet another farm subsidy in effect.

It also means that all gasoline has to be transported by truck because the ethanol can't go by pipeline due to the rubber seals in the pipelines.

[ccm911]

Good points guys.  More energy to produce, short "shelf life", and it actually reduces miles per gallon.  And to add insult to injury, a dozen ears of corn now costs over three dollars.

Now why are we doing this?

[JoeP]

We are doing this because making ethanol from corn actually consumes more crude oil than it displaces.  It is one of the rare cases in which Democrats and Republicans can both screw the US on the same issue:  

> Democrats get huge sums from big agro-business in the midwest (Ethanol has nothing to do with farmers.  Those poor bastards are still screwed.)

> Republicans get huge sums from the oil companies who finally realised that they use MORE crude if they blend ethanol than if they don't.  

So, taxpayers get to pay more for fuel AND give 45 cents per gallon to ethanol producers.  Who needs al-Quaida when we have Congress?