Hawaii May Eliminate Ethanol Blend in Gas.

[Koz1]

The Hawaii legislature has passed a bill removing the state's ethanol mandate. Hawaii has required a 10 percent ethanol blend in its gas since 2006. The problem is that Hawaii imports most of its ethanol, rather than producing it in-state as originally intended.

The decision to ditch the mandate, which is backed by environmentalists, fuel producers and chicken farmers, will make Hawaii the second state (after Florida) to do so if the bill is signed by Governor David Ige. The decision puts the state at the front of a national discussion over the future of ethanol in gasoline.
Opponents of the ethanol mandate say benefits haven't come, since Hawaii has been importing blended fuel.

 

[NHGUY]

NH went to E10 due to MMT being found in water.Its one of the California emissions states...like VT,ME,Mass.....I doubt they will ever repeal useage,or else tick off the EPA that mandated it.

 

[splinter]

Originally Posted By: Koz1
...backed by environmentalists, fuel producers and chicken farmers...

Politics makes for strange bedfellows sometimes.

 

[Donald]

I would be less against ethanol if it was made using some kind of weed/waste. Not corn.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
NH went to E10 due to MMT being found in water.Its one of the California emissions states...like VT,ME,Mass.....I doubt they will ever repeal useage,or else tick off the EPA that mandated it.


It was MTBE not MMT.

http://abc7news.com/archive/7286029/

 

[MrHorspwer]

Originally Posted By: Koz1
The Hawaii legislature has passed a bill removing the state's ethanol mandate.


Which is a completely different thing than "eliminating ethanol blend in gas."

The mandate *requires* an E10 blend. Removing the mandate doesn't force anybody to do anything to the blend. All removing the mandate does is allow blenders to use less than 10% ethanol... if they choose to. Nobody is forcing ethanol out of the fuel.

Feel good politics. Whatever rep sponsored the bill gets to puff his chest and say, "I repealed the mandate!" while everybody is still pumping E10 into their cars.

 

[Saul]

A step in the right direction is much better than no steps. Without the mandate you are much more likely to get E0 fuel thank with it.....

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: MrHorspwer
Nobody is forcing ethanol out of the fuel.


Assuming the Feds allow it, I think Adams will force most Ethanol out of gasoline in Hawaii. If not Adams then his invisible hand.

 

[edyvw]

I always stay amazed with ignorance, stupidity and hypocrisy of my neighbors to the East, who always talk about big government etc, but do not mind Ethanol mandates, that affects everyone, from average driver in the U.S. to some poor kid in Africa.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
I always stay amazed with ignorance, stupidity and hypocrisy of my neighbors to the East, who always talk about big government etc, but do not mind Ethanol mandates, that affects everyone, from average driver in the U.S. to some poor kid in Africa.


The East? The MidWest farmer lobby is a big part of the current Ethanol situation. And I've yet to meet an Eastern voter who was in love with E10.

 

[dlayman]

"Midwest farmer lobby"? If you mean ADM and other corporate big Ag then I agree with you. If you think small to mid-size family-owned farms, they have little to no power, lobbyists, or say.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: dlayman
"Midwest farmer lobby"? If you mean ADM and other corporate big Ag then I agree with you. If you think small to mid-size family-owned farms, they have little to no power, lobbyists, or say.


I mean Midwesterners that aren't Easterners.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: HangFire
Originally Posted By: edyvw
I always stay amazed with ignorance, stupidity and hypocrisy of my neighbors to the East, who always talk about big government etc, but do not mind Ethanol mandates, that affects everyone, from average driver in the U.S. to some poor kid in Africa.


The East? The MidWest farmer lobby is a big part of the current Ethanol situation. And I've yet to meet an Eastern voter who was in love with E10.

That is what I was referring: East from me: OK, NE, KS etc.

 

[dlundblad]

What if it was 100% ethanol?? Lol

I think they do some of this down in Brazil with sugarcane ethanol.

 

[TiredTrucker]

Originally Posted By: HangFire
And I've yet to meet an Eastern voter who was in love with E10.


Strange, I have never met anyone, anywhere, who was in love with any fuel, except those who make it and sell it. But I suppose there could actually be folks who have a love affair with fuel. After all, there are folks who suffer from object sexuality. I go thru over 20,000 gallons of diesel a year for my needs and I have never felt any attraction to it. I regularly buy various blends of ethanol in my gasoline and nope, still feel no attraction to that fuel either. But given the price I get the ethanol blends at compared to non ethanol versions, I like it from a cost per mile standpoint. If it all went away, I would not suffer and mourn over the loss of it either. It is just pure economics. I know what kind of fuel economy I get from everything, E0, E10, E15, E20, E30, and E85. I look at the pricing at the pump and based on that, I buy what gives me the lowest cost per mile when one factors the fuel economy and the price. Someone else chooses not to use the stuff, I could really care less. I don't buy their fuel for them so they can put in Coleman lantern fuel for all I care.

Don't like not having a choice to get non ethanol gasoline? Then get the state legislature to change things so you can or move. I live is ethanol central and I have the choice of non ethanol regular and premium any day of the week, all year long, in almost every town around me. Seems strange that I would have all those choices if it was some farm lobby conspiracy. Especially here in the heart of corn country.

 

[Shrubitup]

Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
Originally Posted By: HangFire
And I've yet to meet an Eastern voter who was in love with E10.


Strange, I have never met anyone, anywhere, who was in love with any fuel, except those who make it and sell it. But I suppose there could actually be folks who have a love affair with fuel. After all, there are folks who suffer from object sexuality. I go thru over 20,000 gallons of diesel a year for my needs and I have never felt any attraction to it. I regularly buy various blends of ethanol in my gasoline and nope, still feel no attraction to that fuel either. But given the price I get the ethanol blends at compared to non ethanol versions, I like it from a cost per mile standpoint.


Do you like the ability to move about freely without waiting for mass transit? If so then it can be said that you appreciate automobiles and indirectly E10.

 

[hattaresguy]

Ethanol isn't a terrible idea, just making it from corn is.

 

[TiredTrucker]

Not sure the waiting for mass transit as opposed to moving about freely thing is an adequate analogy for my situation. Primarily because mass transit is not going to come 11 miles out of a town of 300 people to my rural property and give me a ride. I do appreciate vehicles for transportation, but have no love affair with them. They are tools to get something done. And what goes in the tank is just the cost of using them. And to that end, I focus on the lowest cost per mile. I don't care if it is E0, E10, E15, E20, E30, or E85. I don't care if it is made from corn, sugar cane, sugar beets, or cat urine. If the corn folks want to make ethanol, go for it. And to make it, at least we have not have to go to war and spend hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives to keep the ethanol spigots flowing like we have oil. No doubt there has been waste thrown at the ethanol folks in the past, and the emphasis is on "past" because ethanol subsidies ended in 2011, but it hardly even compares to the money we have spent all around the world playing games with keeping the oil flowing. Am not saying that doing that is necessarily a terrible thing, just that ethanol production has hardly cost anyone near as much as oil has. If we tacked on the price of all the military adventures, money transfers, military aid, etc, etc, etc, that this country has thrown around, to the price of gas at the pump, then many would have some serious reason to pitch a fit. It has been estimated by some economists that if we applied all those costs to fuel at the pump, the cost for a gallon of gasoline would exceed $10 a gallon. And that doesn't include the lives that have been ruined in keeping that oil flowing.

 

[Lyman]

I like my gas in pure form. You can keep your freaking corn out of my fuel. Corn belongs on the cob roasting on the BBQ. Tree huggers and politicians can kiss my you know what.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

We're starting to see ethanol free regular gas locally. ~$.30/gal. more. Some folks are starting to ask why we need E-10.