EPA Expected to approve E15 gas

[avizpls]

especially relevent to PA readers, and sheetz customers:

Due to the Renewable Fuels Standard being implemented by our Federal 
Government through the Environmental Protection Agency, it has become 
more and more uneconomic to offer pure conventional gasoline.  This 
fall, the pipeline which supplies much of our state's fuel supply will 
only be shipping gasoline blendstock (as opposed to conventional 
gasoline).  This means "ethanol free gas" will no longer be an option 
for anyone supplied off of that pipeline.  This type of gasoline 
requires ethanol to be blended into it prior to sale to the consumer.   
  On August 19th, a refinery north of you that supplies much of 
northwest PA announced that they will only be producing E10 as well.

So in summary: many areas of the country will be unable to offer 
ethanol free gas going forward.  I would be curious to know if your 
small town store will be able to continue their offering into the 
fall...  We've found that even in the areas where ethanol free gas is 
possible, it is not economic to offer for sale.

I'm sorry, but for the foreseeable future, we can only offer you E10 gasoline.

Info on the RFS can be found here:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/index.htm

There are a number of groups currently lobbying to have this standard 
expanded to 15% or higher...

Regards,
Karl Diethrick
Scheduler
Sheetz Petroleum Supply
W: 814-941-5537
C: 814-931-1703
F: 814-239-1333
kdiethrick@sheetz.com<mailto:kdiethrick@sheetz.com>
Yahoo ID: karld1

[avizpls]

that was from a month or two ago....

[corey]

great...
looks like that $2500 aluminum tank is closer in my future than i thought...
not to mention my new car will run like shit i suppose.

moron lobbyists.

[zooom]

moron lobbyists.

not if they have stock in plastics manufacturing and R&D....

[mitt]

I wrote my Senators who are responsible for this mess (Iowa being a corn state and all).

**************************

Re:  EPA 15% ethanol

I am concerned that the new proposal of 15% ethanol will have an overall negative impact on the environment.   I know first hand of many incompatibilities with ethanol gas and plastic gas tanks.  My experience is with a Ducati motorcycle and a Nissan car both having tank deformation caused by ethanol gas.  They need new replacement tanks.  I appreciate alternative energy research and progress, but please make sure there are choices for consumers who want to use fuels that were blended the way the engine engineers intended to prevent premature problems.  I am afraid there will not be choices, and these new fuels will inevitably get mixed into systems not designed for them.


************************

mitt

[Raux]

Corn prices are on the rise... now is not the time to mandate this...
Not only will food supplies be strained, but the cost of the fuel will rise accordingly. add the costs of the problems this is causing the vehicles.. it's just 

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-02-11-food-prices_N.htm

"•Government mandates for biofuels. In a bid to reduce oil dependence, many countries are requiring additional use of biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel. That, in turn, competes with food destined for the table — and increases the prices of what consumers eat.

Partly because of the U.S. energy bill requiring increased use of corn-based ethanol, farmers have planted less soybeans and wheat. Winter wheat plantings rose 3.6% this year, even with high prices, vs. an expected 8%, according to Merrill Lynch.

"We've not really had anything like the situation we've had today," says Bruce Babcock, head of Iowa State University's Center for Agricultural and Rural Development. "The reason why this won't be over as quickly as other price shocks … is that biofuels mandates are increasing at the same time that countries are being signaled to grow more."
"

[Greg]

Well the EPA went ahead and approved E15 for 2007 and newer vehicles, no real surprise there. What will make a big difference is when they release their recommendation on 2001-2006 vehicles, late November. If they give the green light on those, then I see a good chance that retailers might start offering E15, if they do not then I think many will stay with E10.

[redxblack]

It's not like that corn is farmed on hybrid machines. Diesel (more than likely not biodiesel) harvests corn, hauls it to the processor and trucks it to the gas station. This isn't about "green" technology, it's about the old-fashioned green.

[ducpainter]

It's not like that corn is farmed on hybrid machines. Diesel (more than likely not biodiesel) harvests corn, hauls it to the processor and trucks it to the gas station. This isn't about "green" technology, it's about the old-fashioned green.

What isn't in the real world?

[ducatiz]

It's not like that corn is farmed on hybrid machines. Diesel (more than likely not biodiesel) harvests corn, hauls it to the processor and trucks it to the gas station. This isn't about "green" technology, it's about the old-fashioned green.

diesel tractors, diesel combines, diesel pickers, etc..

who was it that posted the whole process of converting corn to ethanol and showed it wasted far more energy, created far more air pollution, than it saved?

ethanol is a great idea!  if it magically comes from my ass and doesn't make the beast with two backs up engines not made for it and is free and doesn't pollute etcetc etc

IF ONLY!

[Porsche Monkey]

I don't think the cars he works on like it any more than our bikes do...

ethanol that is.

You hit the nail on the head.  It sucks when I have a customer with a brand new $100+k car and it doesn't run right because of crap gas.  Then we come to our beloved Ducatis that go through tanks every year or two.  Now it looks like it will get worse.

[Howie]

When I was still dealing with cars I used to refer to E10 problems as "alcohol poisoning".  Um...doesn't distilling use fuel?

[ducatiz]

When I was still dealing with cars I used to refer to E10 problems as "alcohol poisoning".  Um...doesn't distilling use fuel?

um YEAH... 

but we can use ethanol for the fuel for distillation and it becomes a perpetual motion machine!!

[77south]

<blockquote>diesel tractors, diesel combines, diesel pickers, etc..

who was it that posted the whole process of converting corn to ethanol and showed it wasted far more energy, created far more air pollution, than it saved?

ethanol is a great idea!  if it magically comes from my ass and doesn't make the beast with two backs up engines not made for it and is free and doesn't pollute etcetc etc

IF ONLY!
</blockquote>
Those studies are decades old.  Modern ethanol processes are net energy producers.  How much energy varies by process and feedstock, corn being one of the least efficient.  Sugar cane on the other hand is fantastic.  There are promising processes being developed in producing cellulosic ethanol (using the entire plant not just the corn kernel for instance) and ethanol from algae that could change the ethanol game completely and reduce production costs and boost efficiency by large amounts. 
Corn ethanol wouldn't be as popular as it is if it weren't for big agribusiness like Archer Daniels Midland and Monsanto pushing for subsidies.  So yeah its all about the money, and (surprise surprise) not really about the environment. 
I guess the American thing to do would be to go into business making aftermarket fuel system components that can handle ethanol and make this problem make us rich.

[muskrat]

have a friend who managed an ethanol plant in KS.  you wouldn't believe the problems and costs.  funny thing is they couldn't transport the stuff to refineries because they needed a liquor license/permit....