The Fallacy Of E-15 Gasoline

The Fallacy Of E-15 Gasoline

BY DANNIE McINTIRE

The Biden administration has issued an emergency fuel waiver that allows E15 gasoline, a fuel blend using 15% ethanol, to be sold across the United States this summer. It’s an attempt on the Biden administration’s part to expand access to an affordable fuel supply, hoping to slow the increase in gasoline prices. I foresee several issues the Biden administration may not have considered.  

First, according to the EPA, E15 gasoline, commonly sold under its octane rating as “Unleaded 88”, can be safely used in cars, trucks, and SUVs from the model year 2001 and newer. If your vehicle is a 2000 model or older, E15 gas is not recommended. While that is a small number, it does exclude approximately 10% of vehicles on the road in the United States. 

Second, per the EPA, ethanol-blended gas contains about one-third less energy than regular unleaded gasoline. So, vehicles will typically go 4% to 5% fewer miles per gallon on E15 than on 100% gasoline. Fewer miles per gallon means you will be refueling more often.

Third, the most common ethanol production process today uses yeast to ferment the starch and sugars in corn, wheat, and barley. Sounds workable, the Unites States is the largest producer of corn worldwide, growing almost 15.1 billion bushels of corn for grain in 2021. 

However, keep in mind that our farmers rely on fertilizer in maintaining high yields per acre in growing grains. Most common fertilizers contain potash.  In 2021, 93 percent of the potash used in the United States was imported from other countries, including 1 million tons from Russia in 2021. With the present conflict in Ukraine, that source will need to be replaced, and at what cost? As the cost of fertilizer goes up to the farmer, it ultimately increases the cost to the consumer.

Fourth, higher corn prices are already having an adverse effect on the production of U.S. ethanol. Per the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), an estimated two dozen of the 200 ethanol plants in the U.S. have ceased production and another two dozen have reduced their production rates. As the price of corn and other grains increases so does the production cost of ethanol, potentially reducing the cost savings between E15 gas and regular unleaded gas. 

Fifth, let’s look at the potential economic impact of growing more corn to help increase U.S. ethanol production. The following was published by the Yale School Of The Environment: 

“The truth is, however, that growing corn in the U.S. heartland still has a major environmental impact, one that will only increase if we add even more ethanol to our gasoline. Higher-ethanol blends still produce significant levels of air pollution, reduce fuel efficiency, jack up corn and other food prices, and have been treated with skepticism by some car manufacturers for the damage they do to engines. Growing corn to run our cars was a bad idea 10 years ago. Increasing our reliance on corn ethanol in the coming decades is doubling down on a poor bet.”

Is there a more workable solution to ensuring an adequate affordable supply of gasoline to the American public? Simply think back. Less than two years ago, the U.S. energy production in 2019 was higher than U.S. energy consumption for the first time in 62 years. Now let me think, yep, that was under the prior administration. What the heck has happened under the guidance of President Biden?

Energy production in the United States needs to have constraints imposed by the Biden administration removed, unleash our private energy sector, and let them get to work for America. Yes, electric vehicles may be the future, and we should continue to work towards that end, but the infrastructure across the United States will not be able to support going all-electric for many years to come. Right now America runs on oil, we have the oil, President Biden, get out of the way!   

FOOTNOTE:  This article was published by the City-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.