Lawmakers Push for Ethanol Mandate

The Environmental Protection Agency says it may decide by this fall whether car engines can handle a proposed increase in the blend of ethanol in gasoline. Right now, the blend is 10%, but an increase to 15% is being considered. This delay in making the rule change has upset some senators, but it should be noted that the senators all come from states that would benefit from increased ethanol production.

Motorcyclists are upset, too. Not because of the delay, but because of the proposed increase in the ethanol blend.  The testing being conducted by the Energy Department is being done on newer cars (built after 2007) and no mention of any tests on motorcycles or air cooled engines has been made. What happens to cars built before 2007 or motorcycle engines with the increased percentage of ethanol?  There have been claims that motorcycle engines run much hotter with the 10% blend already, and there are other concerns also. Some people claim that they get much poorer fuel efficiency, even with Hybrid cars. Most ethanol is produced from corn and an increase in production as a biofuel will dramatically increase food prices and create food shortages.

Congress has already required refiners to blend 12.9 billion gallons of biofuels in 2010, of which 12 billion gallons would be ethanol. With this anticipated increased production, you can understand why ethanol groups are upset over the EPA's delay in the rulemaking process. Still, the concern over what the affects of increased ethanol will have on small engines is valid.  The EPA says it will conduct tests on cars built before 2007 after the current testing on later model cars is completed. That doesn't answer the question about small engines and air cooled motorcycle engines. As for the food price increase and shortage, supporters of ethanol say that won't be a problem in coming years when ethanol could be made from other substances like woodchips or algae. Tell that to some starving children and hope they understand.

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