Is adding ethanol to gas a positive or negative benefit to our country?

[wilbur]

Ethanol is for drunks.

I resemble that remark

[Cray]

Originally conceived to reduce bad emissions. Now they are starting to find out some of the emissions from Ethanol are as bad or worse than what they were trying to stop. Only thing it has helped is the pocket books of politicians who have invest in the company's that make it.

[Dlogfish]

The ethanol companies associated with crappie masters are trying to say the ethenol has no adverse effects when running it through marine engines. The is true to a point. The bad thing about ethenol is that it is alcohol and alcohol has a natural affinity to water. So if you store your boat for a week or two without treating the fuel you are asking for problems. On another note. I am all for american farmers but ethenol has raised the price of corn which in turn makes the price of beef five dollars a pound. Overall in my opinion I think ethenol as fuel is a failed experiment at alternative engery. Again just my opinion.

[20watt]

Don't care for it at all, has cost me in carb work and also ate up the pickup line in my gas tank. I understand crappie masters is in need of sponsor dollars and they do lots of good for the sport but i almost fell off the couch when they started up about how good ethanol is for the economy and alternative energy and how it's not harmful to outboards.

[jwilson904]

IMHO ethonal has negative affects on the environment do to the fuel consumption in making more corn,fertilizer use to make it,woodlands being cleared for more farm land ect.

I once read that it takes 1.2 gallons of deisel fuel to make 1 gallon of ethonal. I do not know if this is true but it is conceivable.

It reminds me of the government subsidizing Dairies in the 80s bankrupting the beef farms as an unforeseen consequence.

IMHO the more the government stays out of are business the better off we are. When the real answer comes for are energy problems it will take care of itself without the government interjecting.

[DockShootinJack]

From what I have read it is not cost effective to produce without the tax break and government subsidies.

[RiceRocket]

x2 To all the above RR

[skinny]

I get this question all the time at the store, so I ask my supplier. His response was just about all gasoline sold today contains some ethanol. it depends on where you live how much is in it. Midwest regions tend to had higher % of ethanol in their blends.

[arkman]

I think the 10% is probably ok most of the time as long as you use a fuel supplement. Its hard to find gas that doesn't have at least that much anymore.

I dont like the E85 at all though and wouldn't run it in anything. I have a Ford crew cab 4 x 4. If I dont reset the computer I average around 17.5 mpg. I filled up with E85 last year when prices were alot higher and it was alot cheaper than "regular" gas and reset the computer. It dropped to 14 mpg.

It just doesnt make sense to me to make gas out of something that not only we eat but is also fed to animals that are raised for our food. Figure out a way to make it out of soybeans or something like that, not corn.

[wicklundrh]

Michigan has been 10% since the late 80's. Other places are as high as 15%.Ethonal based fuels are 85%.

In our government vehicles at work, we are required to use e85 in all our vehicles that can run it. The result has been increases budget and over spending due to decreased fuel economy. We now have to limit mileage due to this increase.

Each portion of the US is required to produce a specific percentage of total corn yeild in the form of ethonol. If it is a lean year, they will lower or restrict the number. This was done to curb people from making all their money selling corn to fuel producers instead of graineries. 10 bucks a bushal at the grainery or 15 bucks at the E plant. Doesn't take a math genius to quickly figure out where to take your corn. Hence the reason for the percentage goal or cap.

When the boom happened, many property owners and farmers decided to open and plant grounds that had been fallow for years. This was good in the sense that it upped production for the area but the average guy only made money by increasing yeild and not by selling to refiners as intended.

It effects everything. Some good, some bad. More feed in the fields means more deer. More deer, more car deer accidents which in turn raises insurance rates. Higher yeild, more corn to the e plant, less for the cattle equates to higher food prices.

My family owned a dairy farm. We were only milking about 100 head twice daily. My cousin wanted to close down and switch to beef simply because it costs more to produce the milk than the overal gallon price (almost 80 cents less per gallon). The usda subsidized the farmer to continue to produce milk. Otherwise there would be none. This has been going on for almost 10 years. They begged himto continue. The only way out was his death last year.

Someone gets rich off everything. It just isn't me