EPA to protect small engines

[HeyBub]

"EPA requires that retail stations that own or operate blender pumps either dispense E15 from a dedicated hose and nozzle if able or, in the case of E15 and E10 being dispensed from the same hose, require that at least four gallons of fuel be purchased to prevent vehicles and engines with smaller fuel tanks from being exposed to gasoline-ethanol blended fuels containing greater than 10 volume percent ethanol."

Seems to me, if the EPA wanted to protect small engines, they'd do away entirely with the ethanol requirement.

[Mr.E]

See United States Congress and thank them for the entire corn/ethanol fiasco. I plan to implement term limits this fall by voting against all incumbent Congresspersons!

[trader4]

It would seem a much better idea would be to spend the time to understand which ones are representing your views and doing a good job. How about if your current representatives are against the ethanol subsidies and the candidates running against them are green kooks? Is that how you would run a business? Just fire everyone?

[Mr.E]

If government were a business, it would have been Bankrupted, Dissolved and/or Restructured years ago. I believe in Term Limits on all elective offices.

[Ralph Mowery]

They should do away with that E stuff all together.

There are seveal stations in around me that sell gas with out the E in it. It is sold as their highest price gas, so when the gas was about $ 3.50 a gallon, the E-free was $ 4.00 per gallon. I have started using that and it seems the small engines start beter.

[Stormin Mormon]

That should be gawdawful expensive, to retrofit all the pumps. With meter telling when four gallons hits, and then dispense the alcohol into the gas. Fuel is expensive enough already, without having to pay for more tanks and more mixing.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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See United States Congress and thank them for the entire corn/ethanol fiasco. I plan to implement term limits this fall by voting against all incumbent Congresspersons!

[EXT]

I have started doing that as well, and I find small engines start and run better. Our local Shell stations offer the lowest octane fuel at 10% ethanol, the next higher fuel uses 5% ethanol and their premium octane fuel with the highest price contains NO ethanol.

One engine, a very small 4 stroke Honda (the size of most 2 stroke engines) on a little rototiller, would be very difficult to start and would run rough on 10% ethanol, changing to 0% ethanol made it start right a way and run very smooth with full power.

[Stormin Mormon]

Thanks for the field report.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

One engine, a very small 4 stroke Honda (the size of most 2 stroke engines) on a little rototiller, would be very difficult to start and would run rough on 10% ethanol, changing to 0% ethanol made it start right a way and run very smooth with full power.

[Robert]

Au contraire !!

I think they should put the gasoline in one pump, and the ethanol in another, and the customer could buy them separately...

.... a lot more mason jars would be sold....you betcha !!

[Frank]

Even Al Gore has said the ethanol requirement was a mistake.

Also one big environmental group, can't remember who, has said it.

Get rid of ethanol and all the other boutique grades of gas and there would be a huge price drop.

[Evan]

@Mr. E:

That would still leave control of everything to the shadowy behind-the-scenes appointed committee assistants and would not truly solve the stated problem...

[Evan]

Godawful expensive ?

Do you live that far into the boonies that gas pumps as still old fashioned old timey things ?

Around the civilized world, gas pumps have computers in them and can self-serve cash or credit and have annoying flat screen TVs blaring ads at you to make even more money off of you while you pump the gas...

It would be a software change, little more...

[Evan]

That and the prices of food would go down as well as too much of the corn crop is being diverted to this eco-fuel boondongle...

[krw]

So, if you ran a business you'd fire everyone occasionally?

So vote for people who have similar values. It really isn't that hard.

[krw]

*Great* idea! Somehow I bet the amount of E going into automobiles would be nil. Don't drink and drive.

...but you'd have to buy it four gallons at a time! ;-)

[NotMe]

"Frank" <

What is true is that the cost will go down. Prices especially at the pump ....

[Larry W]

Shell must be using other additives or formulations to control the octane rating, rather than the ethanol content, apparently. All other things being equal, a higher ethanol percentage increases the octane rating of gasoline. In fact, straight ethanol has an octane equivalent rating of about 105 to 115 or so, depending on what method is used to measure or calculate it.

[Stormin Mormon]

I've read that ethanol is "energy negative". Takes more petroleum to plant, harvest, and distill. More than the energy you get back.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

"Frank" <

What is true is that the cost will go down. Prices especially at the pump ....

[Ed Pawlowski]

We'd have term limits if we had a smarter electorate.

[clare]

Although Ethanol DOES raise the octane marginally, it lowers the heat value by significantly more - which makes it a bit of a boondoggle as far as a performance fuel is concerned. Shell makes their 93 octane fuel as 93 octane GASOLINE. The ethanol in the 87 makes it closer to 88 octane - WOW!!!!