Letter to Senators Burr & Hagan on Gasohol

The genesis of my concern with the addition of ethanol to gasoline began some years ago when you could still find gas without ethanol. My personal observations was that I got fewer miles per gallon with gasohol than with gasoline. Now that all gasoline in NC has ethanol, no one seems to know there is a difference between the mileage performance of gasohol and gasoline. So not only does gasohol cost more per gallon than gasoline, gasohol costs you more because you get fewer miles per gallon! What some might call a double-whammy. 

Later, I discovered that even though car manufacturers have replaced many fuel components with those that are more resistant to gasohol, many other gas-powered engines on boats, lawn mowers, trimmers, etc. are not gasohol resistant. Within a couple of years these components degrade and have to be replaced at the owners expense. Yet another cost in addition to the higher cost of gasohol. 

Now the EPA wants to boost the amount of ethanol in gasohol to 15%. That will further reduce fuel mileage, increase costs, and deteriorate fuel components faster.  Then there's the concern of the use of corn to produce ethanol for the gasohol and the impact that may have on food prices.

The is yet another example of the government creating a program that has unintended consequences. This is yet another example of why big government is bad. This is another example of why big government fails and should fail.

Below is an email I sent to Senators Burr and Hagan of NC:

"Government interference always has unintended consequences. In the case of the federal government mandate to add biofuels to gasoline there are many negative consequences. In this article "AP sources: EPA expected to OK more ethanol in gas" (http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=21&sid=377155) the out-of-control EPA may allow higher percentage of ethanol to gasoline. I already can't buy gas without ethanol. Why might I want to do that? Ethanol reduces miles per gallon, it costs more, and it damages fuel lines on boats and power equipment (the fuel lines actually begin to dissolve). We need to reel in the EPA and start to decrease federal regulation. Enough of this big government stuff!"