(More) Foolishness at the EPA

Can we just defund the EPA now? (And that's being said by one who's wife used to work there.)

EPA approves more ethanol in fuel for cars

It faces strong opposition, however, from the auto industry, environmentalists, cattle ranchers, food companies and others. Those groups say that using corn to make ethanol makes animal feed more expensive, raises prices at the grocery store and tears up the land. There have already been several lawsuits filed against the EPA - including one filed by automakers, boat manufacturers and outdoor power equipment manufacturers - since the agency decided to allow the higher blends for newer cars in October.

They snuck this through the cheer leading Lame Stream Media two Friday evenings ago.

E15 Gas: A green disaster for your car

The existing 10% ethanol-blend gas has problems, but the good folk at Popular Mechanics are concerned about what happens when a few drops of water get into the fuel tank when E15 is used:

How does water get into the fuel tank? It’s possible that water dripped into the tank at the gas station or ­refueling depot, or a stray raindrop or snowflake made its way into your tank or jerrycan, but most water infiltration is from condensation. As the temperature in a tank changes, air has to be vented in and out or the tank will bulge or split. Incoming air carries moisture. When the H2O in the gas gets above a critical percentage—its saturation point—all of the water and alcohol drops out and settles into the bottom of the tank. This is what chemists call phase separation; the various components of the fuel are no longer a homogeneous mixture.

I've some experience with water-in-fuel problems. E10 has a shelf life just slightly longer than a banana. And once it starts to separate, it does no good at all. Even the special Sta-Bil additive doesn't do much when we're talking storing fuel for several months in unused cans or fuel systems.

Since I don't use my snow blower at the Bolt Hole during the summer or early fall, its gas tank and fuel system regularly amasses water in the bottom as it sits in the very humid air of the detached garage. Mark reports it cost $280 just to get it running again this year. And the seals and gaskets are pretty well shot from water in the system freezing, he says. I used to have a similar problem with my lawn mower in the spring until I moved it into a dryer shed and made sure the gas tank was overflowing before storage.

The ATV has had similar problems with water accumulating in the fuel tank as the E10 separates over the winter while the machine is not in use. I have to drain the bloody gas tank to get it running again. I have to do the same for the brush hog stored with the snow thrower at the Bolt Hole.

And don't ask me about using E10 to run my chainsaws.... Please.

I won't even touch upon the cost of producing ethanol from corn. You can get that from the green disaster post linked above.