HAVE A GREAT FRIDAY READERS!

Well, the "Game of the Century" as some in the media are hyping is only a day away. So far, both team coaches are "praising" their opponents. Both teams are also seemingly keeping "low key" and not trash talking. LSU Coach Les Miles had put a stop on his team using Twitter.

LSU has an advantage over Bama at the quarterback position. The Bama QB is a first year starting quarterback this year. He's probably not played in a high pressure game like this one. I saw that there were two tickets for sale on a website in the end zone of Bryant Denny stadium asking $10.000 per ticket! Can you imagine?

Back to ethanol issues. The "E-85" ethanol coalition is pushing to raise the stakes and find a way to get more and more E-85 stations opened across the country. The only vehicles that can use this "fuel" are vehicles that have the "Flex" decal on the back of the vehicle. We only have 3 E-85 stations in Louisiana. I was told by one distributor in Lake Charles area that had one of these stations, that the first time a customer filled up and learned they lose between 30 - 40% gas mileage on this fuel, then don't come back! Here's an article on the E-85 coalition's efforts to push for more stations:

Independent petroleum marketers group joins E85 coalition

By Holly Jessen | October 21, 2011

Just more than a week after announcing the formation of the Coalition for E85 the group said Oct. 21 that it had a new member. The Petroleum Marketers Association of America, which represents 8,000 independent petroleum marketers nationwide, will help spread the message that E85 is a true alternative fuel and should receive a 50-cent per gallon tax credit as part of the Alternative Fuel Credit. “If we don’t enable E85 to compete with gasoline, we could see the entire flex-fuel industry disappear,” said Dan Gilligan, PMAA president. “Our members, automakers, and 9 million American drivers have invested in E85 infrastructure and flex-fuel vehicles. With E85 so close to self-sustainability, these investments must be protected.”

Currently, compressed natural gas, propane and hydrogen are eligible for the Alternative Fuel Tax credit. The coalition is lobbying that E85, which is defined as an alternative fuel in the Energy Policy Act of 1992, should receive the same tax treatment. E85, unlike E10, is not a gasoline additive.

The group’s success depends on how quickly it can activate a grassroots network of stakeholders, said Jeff Trinca, vice president Van Scoyoc Associates, which has been hired as a lobbyist for the coalition. So far, the coalition’s members include Propel Fuels, Protec, Clean Fuels Development Coalition, Pearson Fuels, AMERigreen, Petro Serve USA, multiple ethanol industry associations, pump and tank companies and individual E85 retailers. The addition of PMAA is something to celebrate. “PMAA brings a motivated group of constituents to the table,” Trinca said. “We are very optimistic that once policymakers understand the difference between ethanol as an additive and E85–an alternative fuel–we can win this issue. Helping local folks deliver that message is what the E85 Coalition is all about.”

Current supplies of E85 are derived from first-generation ethanol, however, as the industry moves forward it can be produced from non-food sources such as agricultural and household waste, algae and biomass. “Without the E85 system, the federal government’s investment in the development and commercialization of next-generation biofuels may be wasted,” according to the coalition press release.

There are more than 9 million flex-fuel vehicles on the road today. The coalition says that, without the 50 cent Alternative Tax Credit and with the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit expiring at the end of 2011, FFV drivers will pay as much as 38 cents more per gallon for E85. The group predicts that small businesses that have invested more than $100 million in E85 infrastructure will have to close their pumps.

PMAA is a federation of 48 state and regional trade associations. A petroleum marketer is defined as wholesale or retail operations that operate in all or some of businesses that own “gasoline stations, convenience stores, heating oil businesses, truck stops, lubricant warehouses, petroleum trucking companies and bulk storage facilities.” PMAA marketers supply fuels to 40,000 independent retail fuel outlets and own a total of 60,000 outlets.

"Pete" Landry..........comments welcome at................way2gopete@yahoo.com

HAVE A GREAT THURSDAY READERS!

The European Union members are apparently "fuming" that they are importing ethanol in large quantities from the US, but due to large federal government subsidies, the prices of US made ethanol is killing the EU's production of ethanol in cost.

That may all change next year when the ethanol subsidies are stopped.

Here's the article:

Ethanol industry fights back against "unfair" US imports

Wednesday, 02 November 2011REM

ePURE, the association of European renewable ethanol producers has requested the European Commission to act against unfair imports of fuel ethanol from the United States.

The government of the United States has encouraged the production and use of ethanol as fuel without interruption for the last twenty years, notably through the provision of generous subsidies benefitting ethanol producers directly or indirectly through the obligation to blend ethanol with gasoline. The federal excise tax credit and the federal income tax credit represent only the most visible portion of a comprehensive subsidisation policy at all levels of government in the United States. As a result of this policy, the United States are, by far, the largest producer of fuel ethanol in the world.

The association of European renewable ethanol producers, ePURE, describes this policy as “legitimate”, but with a caveat: as long as it does not prejudice the development of ethanol for fuel use in other countries.

But US operators, which are faced with a domestic ethanol market that is nearing saturation, have chosen to allocate a growing share of their production to exports towards the European Union. From 2008 to 2010, US imports of fuel ethanol in Europe have surged by more than 500%. In 2011, these imports are expected to be twice as high as in 2010. This impressive trend is the direct result of US federal and sub federal subsidies, which allow US operators to adopt aggressive pricing practices on the European market.

According to ePURE; these very low prices have “a direct and negative impact on the EU industry,” especially as the European ethanol industry is very small in comparison to the US industry and a lot of ethanol producers are still in a take-off phase.

“Massive and sudden imports of US ethanol, combined with unfairly low prices over the last few years, have seriously damaged the economic situation of European producers” explains Rob Vierhout, Secretary General of ePURE. This situation is all the more critical as the market prospect for fuel ethanol in Europe is very bright, with a rapidly increasing consumption of renewable fuel in all EU countries.

“The unfair competition of US imports is simply depriving the EU industry from the benefit of this positive evolution on its own domestic market” Vierhout says.

ePURE has requested the European Commission to investigate US unfair trade practices and their impact on the EU industry. ePURE is confident that the Commission's investigation will confirm that these practices are causing a serious prejudice to European producers and will clearly establish the need to impose dissuasive du ties on US imports of fuel ethanol in order to restore fair conditions of competition as early as possible.

In the meantime, ePURE has also requested the European Commission to impose a registration of US imports so that du ties are imposed retroactively to take account of possible manipulation during the investigation period.

For additional information:

ePURE

"Pete" Landry........comments welcome at ..................way2gopete@yahoo.com

HAVE A GREAT WEDNESDAY READERS!

Some political candidates haven't learned that if you announce you don't support ethanol, particularly in the State of Iowa, is like defaming religion........Republican Presidential Candidate Rick Perry sure didn't win friends in Iowa this week. I'm sure there are a lot of us who most likely agree with Perry, but if you say this in Iowa as a Presidential candidate, you're not likely to get very many votes in Iowa............read this:

Perry Disses Ethanol in Iowa, Says Feds Shouldn’t Pick Energy Winners and Losers

by Wes Barrett | November 01, 2011

PELLA, IA --Texas Governor Rick Perry thrashed the ethanol issue in corn country Tuesday, arguing the federal government should get out of the business of picking winners and losers and end federal subsidies to energy businesses, including the ethanol industry that looms so large in Iowa.

"[W]hether you're in the oil and gas business, the tax credits they get, whether you're in the ethanol business and the renewable fuel standard or whether you're in the wind side, from Washington DC, I do not think it is the federal government's business to be picking winners and losers in frankly any of our energy sources," Perry said to a forum on manufacturing jobs in Pella, Iowa.

Perry brought up ethanol during a jobs forum in Pella in response to a question about whether wind energy subsidies should continue. Iowa's Republican Gov. Terry Branstad who moderated the forum noted that Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, supports federal funding for wind energy.

Ethanol advocates have expressed disagreement with Perry's energy plan since he unveiled it in October with one group saying Perry's rhetoric about winners and losers doesn't match his energy plan.

"He does pick a winner," said Monty Shaw, a spokesman for the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. "Perry's energy plan leaves Iowa running on empty."

Shaw notes that Perry's plan calls for letting current subsidies for a variety of energy industries expire. And while federal subsidies for renewable fuels such as ethanol have expiration dates, Shaw says petroleum subsidies don't have an expiration date and thus, Perry's plan chooses the oil and gas industries as winners, while renewable fuels lose.

Perry's tough talk on ethanol Tuesday came in a politically delicate setting. The manufacturing facility at which the jobs forum was held is surrounded by corn fields and ethanol production is a boon to Iowa's economy. The state's farmers provide corn a raw ingredient in the production of 3.7 billion gallons of ethanol each year, nearly a third of America's output. The state is home to 41 ethanol processing plants.

But despite his second-tier status in Iowa polling and the popularity of ethanol here, Perry insisted that as president, he would put the federal government out of the ethanol business, noting that it should focus on other responsibilities.

"They ought to get back to what they ought to have been doing which is standing a good military and securing the border and then let the states work out most of the rest of these things," Perry said.

After forum moderators pressed further on the issue, Perry did leave an opening for some money to go to energy but said it should be limited to research and development.

"R and D is the one place that I would allow the federal government to be engaged," he said.

But that's not enough for those who support ethanol. They say despite Perry's claim that he looks at all energy industries as being equal, his plan gives an unfair advantage to the petroleum industry that creates so many jobs in Texas.

"He hasn't figured out that he's running for president of the United States instead of Texas," one ethanol advocate said.

Read more: http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/11/01/perry-disses-ethanol-iowa-says-feds-shouldnt-pick-energy-winners-and-losers#ixzz1cVqO7kE6

"Pete" Landry.........comments welcome at.........way2gopete@yahoo.com

HAPPY TUESDAY READERS!

Read this rather interesting article about the Florida State House and Senate that have introduced a bill to rescind a 2008 law that requires that all gas sold in Florida contain 10% ethanol. This bill would eliminate this mandate and give consumers a choice of the type of gasoline they want. However, it might be a difficult choice given that all major US refiners are producing all of their gas as ethanol gas, with few exceptions.

According to the article, there are 10 States that have similar laws. I knew that several on the east coast and midwest had such laws, but I was not aware there were 10. Louisiana DOES NOT have such a law, thank goodness.

Here's the article:

Northwest Florida legislators lead battle to repeal ethanol requirement (BILL)

October 31, 2011 6:58 PM

Tom McLaughlin

Daily News

State Sen. Greg Evers has joined state Rep. Matt Gaetz in the call for elimination of a requirement that gasoline sold at Florida service stations contain some ethanol.

Evers will introduce SB 238 to the Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee on Wednesday. It calls for repeal of the ethanol provision in the state’s Renewable Fuel Standard Act passed in 2008 and implemented on Dec. 1, 2010.

• Read a copy of the bill. »

“It’s a consumer friendly bill. It lets consumers make up their minds on what kind of gas they want,” Evers said.

Evers said the only opposition to the bill he’s heard comes from “the agricultural community” to which he, as a farmer, belongs.

Gaetz, a Republican from Fort Walton Beach, garnered national attention in September when he introduced legislation identical to what Evers is shepherding through the Senate.

Ethanol used in gasoline is created by fermenting and distilling starch crops. Florida is one of six states that in 2008 that passed a mandate requiring all gas stations to use gasoline that is nine to 10 percent ethanol.

Gaetz wants to see Florida join Hawaii in repealing its consumption mandate.

“If Hawaii can get it right, we ought to be able to in Florida,” Gaetz said.

The Renewable Fuel Standard Act was passed in response to a federal requirement that states reach a particular goal for ethanol-based gasoline, according to Gaetz.

Gaetz said it is his hope the Florida repeal “can drive the repeal of the federal mandate as well.”

The “feel-good attempt to use alternate energy” has proven to be a failure, Gaetz said.

Ethanol is hard on some engines, reduces a vehicle’s miles-per-gallon performance and requires more energy to produce than any savings it creates, he said.

Gaetz said the only opposition he’s heard to his House bill to eliminate the ethanol requirement has come “from people who stand to benefit financially from the government mandate.”

But Matt Hartwig, with the Washington-based Renewable Fuels Association, came out swinging when asked to assess the repeals sought by Gaetz and Evers.

“Rep. Gaetz is woefully misinformed about current ethanol production,” Hartwig said. “He’s citing facts and figures that if they’ve ever been valid haven’t been valid for several years.”

Gaetz’s estimates that it takes 1.3 gallons of fuel to produce one gallon of ethanol have been assessed and found to be correct, even low, Gaetz pointed out.

Hartwig said Florida has helped pioneer the research and technology implementation necessary to make ethanol a viable alternative fuel.

The state has invested in the biofuel industry and done innovative things like creating a unique “ethanol pipeline” that carries the product from the Port of Tampa to Orlando, Hartwig said.

“Why is he (Gaetz) so eager to back peddle on the steps the state has taken forward?” Hartwig asked. “I think Florida ought to give itself a pat on the back for reducing its reliance on imports and relying more on state generated products.”

Hartwig said Florida “is in a position to be on the vanguard of the next generation of biofuel technology.”

“Florida has a lot of potential. It’s unfortunate a couple of state representatives could prevent the state from reaching its potential,” he said.

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Read more: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/state-44907-ethanol-evers.html#ixzz1cQJE0DNN

"Pete" Landry.........comments welcome at ...........way2gopete@yahoo.com

HAVE A GREAT MONDAY READERS!

Well, the countdown begins for the "game of the century" as some in the media call it. Alabama is favored by 4 points last I saw, and that was due to it being a home game for them. Both teams are very comparable in talent and skilled players. It will surely be a great game. It's a shame one has to lose as that will surely knock the loser in the polls and most likely keep the loser from the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. The winner will most likely be in the BCS National Championship game in New Orleans in January. The loser will likely play in the Sugar Bowl game on New Years Day.

If you don't have a ticket for the game in Bama on Saturday, you can still find a few. The going price for a ticket in the lower section on the 25 yard line is going for $3,000 - $5,000! Can you believe that?

The following article indicates that even the "Aussies" are beginning to learn that ethanol FREE gas is better than the "booze gas".

Green fuel no longer a cheap friend

· Exclusive by Rhys Haynes Transport Reporter

· The Daily Telegraph October 31, 201112:00AM

Bill Marcos who owns the APW petrol station on the Great Western Highway at Wentworthville has never sold fuel with ethanol content. He has now erected a sign telling motorists that his fuel is not E10 & reports that business has increased significantly. Picture: Jeff Herbert Source: The Daily Telegraph

Bill Marcos who owns the APW petrol station on the Great Western Highway at Wentworthville has never sold fuel with ethanol content. He has now erected a sign telling motorists that his fuel is not E10 & reports that business has increased significantly. Picture: Jeff HerbertSource: The Daily Telegraph

SYDNEY motorists are abandoning environmentally friendly fuels because of rising costs caused by a state government mandate.

Two years ago motorists were keen to buy the ethanol-based E10 fuel when it was 3c cheaper than unleaded but that gap fell to below 1c inSydney last week, according to NRMA data obtained by The Daily Telegraph.

In recent months, E10 has at times been more expensive than unleaded.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission petrol commissioner Joe Dimasi yesterday admitted Sydney motorists had not embraced E10 and called on the state government to urgently increase supply of ethanol to stop prices rising further.

"Traditionally the difference between E10 and unleaded has been about 3c and it has narrowed and that is making it less attractive to consumers," Mr Dimasi said.

"There does need to be a differential. Our understanding is that you get less kilometres out of ethanol compared to regular petrol but if it is going to be good value for consumers, there does need to be a price difference."

The ethanol mandate was introduced in 2007, setting the amount of ethanol sales primary petrol wholesalers needed to meet out of the total volume of their NSW sales.

Minister for Resources and Energy Chris Hartcher recently announced the state's ethanol mandate would increase from 4 per cent to 6 per cent on October 1.

Major fuel supplier Shell said it was forced to convert many of its sites to E10 so it could meet the government mandate but motorists preferred unleaded.

"Shell has removed ethanol from sale in both Victoria and Queensland because other products have been more popular with customers and problems with supply," a spokesman said.

NRMA president Wendy Machin said the diminishing price differential was a concern for motorists.

"When it first started to appear on the market, it was about a three-to-four-cent discount - that has now eroded," she said.

Bill Marcos, owner of an independent petrol station in Wentworthville, erected a huge sign saying he refused to sell E10.

"As soon as I put that sign up, they came in droves," Mr Marcos said.

"Pete" Landry...........comments welcome at...............way2gopete@yahoo.com

HAVE A GREAT SATURDAY READERS!

Below is an article written by Hank Johnson, aka "The Boat Doctor" for Louisiana Sportsman magazine earlier this year. Hank has been writing very informative articles for Louisiana Sportsman for years, but he stopped writing his articles several months ago as it interfered with his work he told me. He and Louisiana Sportsman have allowed me to use his article on my website.

Mr. Johnson has been in the marine engine repair business for over 50 years. His shop is located in Harahan and is called "The Boat Doctor".

At the time that Hank wrote this article, the EPA had not yet developed the pump warning label for 15% ethanol. It was approved in June of this year and I've shown it on several articles on my website.

Here is Hank's article for those who may not have seen it when it appeared in Louisiana Sportsman:

Ethanol problems are on the rise

By Hank Johnston

8

January 26 at 1:15 pm | Mobile Reader | Print

In June 2009, I wrote a column warning about the problems that many boaters were experiencing due to the use of ethanol-blended gasoline. I also warned that the EPA was entertaining a petition by the ethanol-lobbying group to increase the percentage ethanol blend from 10 to 15 percent.

This November, in true bureaucratic fashion, the EPA bowed to the wishes of the ethanol producers, and authorized an increase from 10 to 15 percent ethanol fuel. This increased amount of ethanol is supposedly for 2007 and newer automobiles and light trucks.

When the EPA announced this increase, they also warned that the higher concentration of alcohol was not to be used in marine engines, motorcycles and gas-powered lawn and garden tools.

Outboard motor manufacturers have consistently warned against using gasoline with more than 10-percent alcohol content. Higher concentrations of alcohol can cause catastrophic engine failure, and the outboard manufacturers have all stated that your warranty will be voided if you use greater than 10-percent alcohol blends.

What a wonderful example of our government at work. The EPA authorizes the increase of alcohol in our gasoline. They claim it is for 2007 and newer vehicles, and warn it is not to be used in marine, motorcycle or lawn equipment engines.

They simply overlooked one slight detail: Who is going to be responsible when this increased alcohol content causes engine damage?

Fifteen-percent ethanol fuel may start showing up in gas stations at anytime in the coming months. There is currently no labeling required for the 15-percent blend. No one has addressed the question of whether we will have the choice of 10 percent, 15 percent or just good-ol’ pure gasoline.

Apparently, the monkey is going to be on your back. It will be your responsibility to know what type of fuel you are pumping into your auto, truck or boat, and you will need to know what type of fuel is acceptable for each of those tanks.

If you must use ethanol-blended gasoline in your boat, you may want to invest in an ethanol fuel test kit. I found these kits through a Google search for “ethanol alcohol fuel test kit.” These kits are very inexpensive — $25 plus shipping — and easy to use. It is a quick, two-step process, and you will see the results from 0-30% before you pump the gas into your tank.

There are a few other precautions you should take to protect your outboard engines from the problems associated with ethanol. The installation of a water-separating fuel filter will trap water and dirt, and keep them from damaging your carburetors or fuel injectors. Make sure it is mounted in an area that is easy to get to so the filter can be removed and checked on a regular basis.

Ethanol-blended gasoline has a shelf life of approximately 90 days, after which the octane level drops and the fuel becomes stale. The use of a fuel stabilizer will extend the shelf life to 1 year. Fuel stabilizer must be added when you fill your tank at the gas station. If you wait several weeks or months and then add stabilizer, you will be throwing your money down the drain. This product is very inexpensive. An 8-ounce bottle will cost approximately $13, and the mixture ratio is 1 ounce per 10 gallons of gas.

Alcohol is a water magnet. During the day when temperatures rise, the gas in your tank expands, forcing air out of the tank. At night when the temperature drops, the gas contracts and sucks air into the tank through the vent. The alcohol in your gasoline seeks out the moisture in that air.

Water molecules are joined with alcohol molecules, and are accumulated in the bottom of the tank. Keeping your tank full will reduce the air space and thus reduce the amount of humidity that can accumulate in the tank.

Ethanol-related fuel system problems have become a major source of business for many outboard repair shops. I have performed countless numbers of carburetor overhauls, rebuilt fuel pumps and replaced hundreds of feet of fuel lines due to the effects of ethanol.

If you have any questions about your boat, motor or trailer, you can e-mail me attheboatdr@yahoo.com

"Pete" Landry.........comments welcome at...............way2gopete@yahoo.com

HAVE A GREAT THURSDAY READERS!

As I've explained in several articles on my website's "Ethanol Articles" page, ethanol and ethanol/water mixtures are corrosive to both aluminum and steel. That is the reason ethanol is not transported through pipelines........at least not yet.

Here's an interesting article I found which discussed corrosion in ethanol manufacturing plants and also a discussion of the issues that have to be overcome to transporting ethanol in pipelines. The article indicates that tests conducted on ethanol in pipelines does not look very good.................here's the article:

PS: No blog for Friday........I'll be out of town Thursday night and returning Friday afternoon. Next blog on Saturday.

Protecting Those Workhorse Tanks

As the ethanol industry matures, potential corrosion issues call for a watchful eye

By Holly Jessen | October 18, 2011

·

Compared to the oil industry, the ethanol industry is relatively young. That puts the ethanol industry on a steep learning curve on matters already mastered by other industries. Jim Dooley, account executive for Corrpro Companies Inc., believes one of those areas is corrosion protection for tanks—including fermentation, water and fuel tanks.

The reality is, he says, some ethanol plants were built with little to no corrosion protection. “When the ethanol industry had designed a lot of these sites, they were unaware of a needs basis when it came to controlling [corrosion,]” he says.

(Read the full article at the link below)

Link: http://ethanolproducer.com/articles/8223/protecting-those-workhorse-tanks

"Pete" Landry.......comments welcome at..............way2gopete@yahoo.com