Biofuel Makers Push to Boost the Amount of Ethanol Allowed in Gasoline to 20 Percent

U.S. News & World Report
By Kent Garber
Posted October 17, 2008

As presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain continue to push their plans to boost alternative energy, there is a growing but controversial effort by some biofuel advocates to increase the amount of ethanol that can be blended into a gallon of gasoline.

At the moment, regular automotive fuel can contain no more than 10 percent ethanol, according to federal law. But with tight energy supplies promising to be a long-term issue, ethanol producers are making a strong push to consider letting Americans fill their cars with fuel that contains up to 20 percent ethanol.

Many lawmakers and government officials are interested, in part because they believe that boosting ethanol levels could help lower American dependence on foreign oil.

But the idea has many critics, including automakers and government regulators who are concerned about potential structural damage to car parts and emissions control systems. Ethanol blends already have been accused of damaging boat motors and lawn equipment, which are more vulnerable to such problems because of their designs. And corn-based ethanol continues to be attacked as being energy inefficient and a factor in rising food prices.

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