Sometimes just quietly listening to the cafe chatter when visiting the wife's farm family can be very interesting.
Posted on 04/02/2013 10:46:47 PM PDT by neverdem
The word “gasoline” no longer characterizes the stuff we put into our cars. Owing to regulations forced on the refining industry, “Frankenol” might be more accurate.
This government-engineered, market-distorting fuel is a blend of 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent ethanol (E10). Originally conceived to breathe life into the fledgling U.S. ethanol industry and reduce our dependence on foreign oil, continued tinkering with the renewable fuel standard (RFS) has turned the program into a nightmare.
The RFS requires refiners to blend increasing amounts of ethanol into the nation’s fuel pool annually. Last year, they were responsible for blending a minimum of 13.2 billion gallons. This year, the figure stands at 13.8 billion gallons. By 2022, the RFS mandate will require 36 billion gallons.
To document compliance, refiners track the RINs (renewable identification numbers) applied to every gallon of ethanol purchased, or they buy paper RINs, which are credits paid to ethanol producers. In either case, refiners have to spend real money to comply with the law.
In creating the RFS program, the government assumed that gasoline demand would continue to rise. It was wrong.
With more fuel-efficient vehicles, a lackluster economy and higher prices at the pump, gasoline demand has declined to the lowest level in 18 years.
As a result, refiners are stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place: They have had to reduce fuel production because demand is down, yet they have to comply with the increasing ethanol mandate. This means they are buying more ethanol credits in the form of RINs but purchasing fewer gallons of ethanol. As a result, millions of gallons of corn-based ethanol are sitting in storage tanks, while the price of RINs has climbed 20-fold in the past 90 days. Industry analyst Byron King says the RIN credit gimmick has...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
crony capitalism....
never expect any govt policy to be for the good of the people....all their policies are directed at enriching their friends...
Frankenfuel sounds better. Even Frankengas.
Ethanol decreases mileage 12%. That is a NASCAR number when they were forced to use it.
How ObamaCare's Individual Mandate Could Go Down
Global Warming? Oops! Never Mind! A very different angle from the last link below...
A sensitive matter (The Economist is stepping back from anthropogenic global warming!) In case you missed it...
Some noteworthy articles about politics, foreign or military affairs, IMHO, FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.
Thanks for the link. It was an accurate portrayal of the disappointment of GWB. The consolation prize was that either Gore or Kerry would have been worse.
It’s also hell on the guts of a Harley.
>:-[
Stupid question time.
If you bought 5 gallons of the crap and let it sit in an open gas can for x amount of time, would the alcohol evaporate out leaving only real gas?
On top of that, some of us lucky people get the winter blend of gas, good for another 10% loss in mileage.
Oh, well, just pump up your tires some more.
Lately I am luck to see 18 mpg and my lawnmower runs like crap.
I am going to try to snag some marine or av-gas for the lawn-mower, it barely wants to start.
I am so sick of this insanity and no one in Washington will stand up to the Ethanol-Corn Lobby and tell them to shove it, and that their whole existance and pardigm is a canard.
www.pure-gas.org
The saddest joke of all is the corn producing states Iowa and Illinois, the ones who love the price of corn being high, can buy non ethanol gasoline to burn in the yard equipment.
Not Texas. They claim the only thing they can get is ethanol blend.
Ethanol free is available out in farm country...
Find YOUR state at the bottom of the page!
http://pure-gas.org/
...and lawnmowers, weedeaters, trimmers, and any other small engine.
Yup.
Ruins every o ring and gasket.
Save Gaia, screw your machinery.
Jerks.
If you really want to get into a very good article and responses,
http://www.buildingspeed.org/blog/2010/10/nascar-and-e15-the-scientific-facts/
And this doesn’t even scratch the surface on what they have done to diesel.
Thanks for that link. Bookmarked. The station closest to me has an update that they no longer sell it...but there’s others around that do.
I can remember the days of Sunoco 260. You could store that in a can for 2 years and still start right up.
You would faster loose a lot of the important lights from the gasoline. While some alcohol would evaporate, some would help to absorb water out of the atmosphere.
You fuel would be worse not better after a few days.
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