E-15 rule to be waived

[MNgopher]

So, are you saying that a 5 carbon ether(which does not contain any O-H bonds) is more soluble in water than a 2 carbon alcohol(which contains an O-H bond)?

Don't care about the Chemisty properties that make it so. For purposes of this discussion, only care about the reality in the physical environment.

MTBE readily and easily contaminates and moves with groundwater. It mixes with water roughly 30 times easier than traditional gasoline components, and does not readily adhere to soil or rock, so it is easily transported long distances. Traditional gasoline components mix much less readily with water, and do adhere to soil and rock, making the ability of the contaminant to travel long distances much less.

Either way, a leaking tank is a leaking tank. The MTBE just made the presence of the leaking tank much more noticeable at a potentially much further distance.

 

[tmorris1]

That is a misinterpretation.

The order allows E15 to be sold in the summer when it traditionally was prohibited.

E15 still has to be labeled as such. Pumps that dispense it will have a rather large orange or yellow sticker on it stating it can only be used on 2001 and newer vehicles (which is by federal law/rule). No station can just start selling E15 and passing it off as regular 87. It doesn't work that way.

Don't believe me? Read to your hearts content -

EPA Issues Emergency Fuel Waiver for E15 Sales | US EPA

EPA News Release: EPA Issues Emergency Fuel Waiver for E15 Sales

www.epa.gov

and you can find the actual oders in there if you are so inclined...

You are correct. I think they have sold E15 in MN all year? I don't remember it going away in the summer months here? Also makes no sense because they can sell E85 year round without any special permission?

 

[MNgopher]

From what I have seen, roughly 2/3rds of the country had restrictions on sale of E15 in the summer months. As you noted, seems like its been sold year around here since it was introduced.

 

[mk378]

The MTBE just made the presence of the leaking tank much more noticeable at a potentially much further distance.

Yes the use of MTBE demonstrated that gasoline was leaking into groundwater everywhere. That did spur considerable improvements in the prevention and detection of leaks, but mostly the answer was to quit using MTBE.

 

[JohnnyG]

Well, you know how it is, new rules, new prices!

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...finalizes-record-ethanol-blending-requirement

Here's the link to the article that I read. It's hard to understand all the rules imposed on oil companies. Apparently the people that make the rules don't understand them too well either.

 

[JohnnyG]

New study, and even it leaves out ethanol transportation costs and carbon creation.

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme...for-the-environment-than-gasoline-study-finds

 

[tmorris1]

New study, and even it leaves out ethanol transportation costs and carbon creation.

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme...for-the-environment-than-gasoline-study-finds

They never mention all the water that they pull from the ground to make ethanol. I have read that they are getting more efficient, but it looks like they used to use about 6-7 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol, but now some places are down to about 3 gallons.