Ethanol - The Alternative Fuel?
Stop158 believes the supply of fuel enabling our society to be mobile is relevant to this region's transportation needs and the sprawl that will affect us in so many different ways. Below you will find two views by local home owners;
Pro-ethanol:
... Excuse me, but Mr. Schild is almost totally wrong in everything he stated in the letter published today ( ... ). re AR-15's and made an issue of it (...). But, back to Mr. Schild. This letter typifies the great pool of ignorance about ethanol and other natural fuel alternatives that abounds in the general public. Let me take this point by point, but you may need his letter before you to fully assimilate my points. 1) He begins by talking about the BTU's (British Thermal Units) comparison of ethanol or gasoline. This is the old (I hate this) apples and oranges cliché. The BTU's are irrelevant. It is the Octane (the rate and power of the explosion in the cylinder caused by the different fuels) that makes all the difference (Jet fuel, for example, is basically Kerosene !). 2) Gasohol is the only alternative available in the "supply lines" that we are forced to use by the oil cartel and our great Federal government. He claims it actually costs us more because it is not as efficient as gasoline alone. True enough but can you imagine if our gasoline needs suddenly went UP BY 10% ! It would cause a total recession. In addition, the formulation is such as it is to meet Federal clean air requirements (which are still too lax) and stop at least some of the Green House gases and air pollution. The only other choice is MBTE ( Methyl Butyl Tetra Ethylene) which was used for several years until it was found to cause pollution of the ground water supplies in its emissions from the tail pipe. Finally, to evaluate the alternatives fairly, you have to recognize the economic covered by "the economies of scale". For example to build one car from scratch it would take $150,000, but if you are going to build a million of them, the per unit costs drops to $15,000. ( We have all witnessed this with computers, TV sets, cell phones etc. ) So, in the long run, when there is an adequate distribution system (Ford alone is building 15,000 Ethanol stations for its hybrids in the next few years.) California will be first for obvious reasons ----- when we have an adequate distribution system, the cost per gallon of ethanol will drop dramatically and quickly. AND IT IS A NATURAL PRODUCT THAT CREATES ALMOST NO POLLUTION AND IS INFINITELY RENEWABLE !! Think about that. 3) He is totally wrong about the search for gasoline alternatives. They are out there and they are in use, but distribution has been thwarted (as I said) by the oil cartel . But, keep this in mind. Almost all military vehicles (including the little passenger vans that take airmen to the out of town destinations etc. ) RUN ON ETHANOL OR IF DIESEL ENGINES --THEY RUN ON SOY DIESEL Start watching or looking for the little logo's or emblems near the fuel tank openings for signs which say "ethanol " or some symbol like a growing stalk of corn. In addition to this, many, many Bi State or Metro Link busses are already running on soy diesel and virtually all of the Illinois Power (now Ameren) trucks are run on CNG (Compressed Natural gas) and do so very well. (If it was MORE EXPENSIVE TO DO THIS - WOULD THEY DO IT ? NOPE !) Two final points. A) Remember, that increased use of ethanol produces a greater need for farmland to STAY FARMLAND ! If your farm can become more prosperous in growing corn or soybeans to be used in automotive fuels; then you would be less likely to want to sell it to developers. For that matter, one would hope than in an agricultural state like Illinois, our state government would be less likely to push road building through farming areas and spur development. Working against ethanol is actually working AGAINST THE CAUSE FOR WHICH STOP 158 EXISTS !! B) I cannot understand how anyone could be AGAINST whatever it takes (short of drilling in ANWR) to become less dependent upon foreign oil. ... please pass this along to Mr. Schild if you wish. I would welcome his comments, but I can tell you that everything I have said is based on a great deal of research and facts provided through both private and government sources. So, I am sure it is correct. Did you know we get more oil from Canada (and then Russia) than we do the middle east? In fact, please share this with whomever you sent your original complimentary note. They need to understand that they are not being told the truth about ethanol! Incidentally, consider this - The fastest, more efficient cars in the world are the dragsters than run in officially sanctioned NHRA races. The fuel of choice - Methanol ! A few molecules different from Ethanol but, you get the idea.
Joe Reichert, EcoHawk@aol.com
Con-ethanol:
Ethanol is wrong direction. THE RECENT article on funding for research for ethanol and alternative fuels makes me wonder whether some of the new math is being used for these proposals.
A simple study of chemical and physical facts will tell anyone that ethanol has 75,560 Btu's compared with 115,400 Btu's for gasoline. Thus, it will take more than one and one-half times more ethanol to release the same energy as gasoline.
Gasohol, or 10 percent ethanol blended with gasoline, causes more gasoline to be used than gasoline alone as fuel mileage is reduced significantly. More fuel is used and burned to produce the ethanol, which uses more energy to be consumed.
I think that $57 million could be used much more productively than wasting it on research to find out what we already know and what can be learned by anyone in a few minutes of reading. Reasonable alternatives to gasoline have been searched for since the automobile was invented and none has yet been found. Any benefit from using ethanol is only to corn farmers and to ADM Corp., not to the environment or a reduction in oil requirements.
If there is an alternative, it is hybrid vehicles that already exist and do not require millions in research to prove. The only requirement is a viable demand for them.
Jim Schild