Ethanol and the Journalism It Attracts
by Terry Daynard (The Record) Opinion pieces about fuel ethanol have been popular among national journalists this summer, most seem written quickly and researched poorly.
The one published recently by news services columnist Carol Goar in The Record (Ethanol is an eco-hoax we just can’t afford — Sept. 6) may represent a new low in faulty information and vitriol.
Among Goar’s many errors: ethanol is not blended into diesel fuel, at two per cent or any level. The average amount in regular Canadian gasoline is about five per cent, not 10 per cent as she states. And the per cent inclusion is higher, not lower, in higher octane gasolines since ethanol is a high-octane ingredient.
Ethanol was initially introduced as a safe alternative to lead and other hazardous compounds traditionally used for octane enhancement. Carmakers have been longtime supporters, not opponents, of ethanol blending because it makes engines run cleaner; manufacturers have even equipped many new cars to use up to 85 per cent ethanol. READ MORE and MORE (Advanced Biofuels USA)
