Salvos Fly as Ethanol Ruling Nears

The Environmental Protection Agency has said it will rule by the end of this month on whether to allow gasoline retailers to sell a mixture that is 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent unleaded regular, a change from the current maximum of 10 percent ethanol. Coalitions have lined up — on one side, the corn farmers and ethanol producers, and on the other, the oil refiners, auto companies, manufacturers of gasoline-powered equipment and companies that use corn to raise livestock. Some opponents are raising concerns that are not important to the E.P.A. — for example, that putting more corn into the fuel supply will raise the cost of corn for feeding chickens or pigs. Another argument is that the ethanol could burn hot enough to hurt catalytic converters or eat away the seals in various parts of the engine, resulting in higher emissions. The auto companies maintain that the only way to know is to extend the testing of cars on the higher blend for several more months. Older cars are thought to be more vulnerable because they were not designed with ethanol in mind, whereas cars sold today are engineered for concentrations of at least 10 percent ethanol. So foes of the change are campaigning for a delay...more