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To: valueminded who wrote (78093)	4/21/2008 9:03:32 AM
From: Sr K	Respond to of 116555

Ethanol takes a lot of water, too. Almost everyone is now against ethanol but the legislation is in place. This is a good reason to rotate the early caucus states, so Iowa goes to the middle and end of the line sometimes.

To: valueminded who wrote (78093)	4/21/2008 9:52:08 AM
From: Elroy Jetson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116555

The policy of adding 5.6% ethanol to gasoline increases octane, and also acts as an oxygenate which reduces tailpipe carbon monoxide. Mileage is reduced by less than 3%. This octane boost was previously provided by tetra-ethyl lead which was eliminated due to environmental lead poisoning. MTBE replaced tetra-ethyl lead, a product produced from natural gas or methanol. Like Ethanol, MTBE is water soluble. Unlike ethanol, MTBE is toxic and not biodegradable. As a consequence, any run-off of MTBE from any gasoline spill or evaporation ends up contaminating the water table. So far more than $35 billion have been spent to clean-up MTBE contamination of groundwater supplies. Most states in the U.S. have required the replacement of MTBE with ethanol to prevent further damage to their water supplies. Some states, such as RealMuLan's state still permit the use of MTBE. I think this is an extremely poor decision which they will come to regret later. In order to provide a farm subsidy a very few states require the sale of E85, a gasoline consisting of 70% to 83% ethanol. Most states allow the sale of E85 gasoline. e85fuel.com The octane of E85 ranges from 100 to 105, compared to roughly 90 for other gasoline. But the reported mileage reduction ranges from 5% to as much as 25% depending on the engine. E85 provides a minor reduction of NOX emissions, but it mostly provides a farm subsidy for corn growers and compromises the world's food supply. Ethanol produced from sugar cane is more efficient when grown in some regions. Yet ethanol in Brazil, as an example, is so heavily subsidized by the state that it is truly difficult to determine with any accuracy whether E85 ethanol fuel is economic even in this setting. .