http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11469 Planet Ark EPA finalizes ethanol rule to cut Midwest fuel cost
USA: July 9, 2001 WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Friday it finalized a rule temporarily issued in March to relax pollution regulations and allow more corn-based ethanol to be blended into gasoline in Chicago and Milwaukee. The policy change was intended to keep fuel prices from spiking by making it easier for oil refineries to use ethanol in cleaner-burning gasoline. Motor fuel sold in the two cities can contain larger amounts of pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are released when ethanol is used. When added to gasoline, ethanol increases the evaporation rate of fuel, causing more VOC emissions, but ethanol reduces carbon monoxide emissions. Both pollutants play a role in ozone formation. The VOC standard was raised to 0.3 pounds per square inch Reid vapor pressure - which measures the volatility of fuel - from the previous 0.2 pounds. The Renewable Fuels Association, which represents U.S. ethanol makers, applauded the EPA's action when the temporary rule was issued in March and urged the same relaxed standards for St. Louis, Louisville and Cincinnati. Roughly half of gasoline supplies in those three cities are blended with ethanol, the trade group said. "Farmers across the country will benefit from this effort to fully recognize the impact of carbon monoxide (tailpipe emissions) on ozone formation and ethanol's full air quality benefits," Eric Vaughn, president of the pro-ethanol trade group, said at the time. However, the EPA said it would not extend the relaxed standards to other areas because Chicago and Milwaukee are the only major cities that depend exclusively on ethanol-blended gasoline. The EPA requires most major U.S. cities to use cleaner-burning gasoline during the hot summer months to reduce smog and air pollution. Illinois and Wisconsin refiners typically blend ethanol with a special kind of highly refined gasoline to achieve the stricter standards. Story by Tom Doggett REUTERS NEWS SERVICE Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
