Ethanol
Luke Fancy
Pro/Con Paper: Pros of Ethanol
Due: 12/07/11
Ethanol was first used in 1908 on Henry Ford's Model T. The Model T was designed so that it could be run on either gasoline or pure alcohol. When asked why he wanted to run the Model T on alcohol, Henry Ford replied by saying, “It is the fuel of the future.” The use of ethanol continued through the 1920's and 1930's in an effort to keep a United States ethanol program alive. Although the effort was unsuccessful, oil supply problems in the Middle East and environmental issues and concerns on the use of lead as an octane booster in gasoline brought focus back on to ethanol in the late 1970's. Ethanol production in 1998 was at 1.4 billion gallons compared to 175 million gallons in 1980. The Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 made a contribution to an economic crisis that revealed our dependence on imported oil. Lines at gas stations lengthened, stock markets slowly started to decline, and our nation was faced with an economic recession. Congress then passed the Energy Tax Act of 1978. This act provided made the 4 cents to the gallon federal fuel tax on gasoline exempt if the fuel was 10 percent ethanol. Congress continued to show and reveal Acts to promote fuel development in the domestic sector and energy conservation. Through the Clean Air Amendments of 1990, Congress acknowledged changes in fuels and their composition would contribute to reducing exhaust pollution. Two new gasoline standards were put into place to reduce fuel emissions in the polluted areas of our country, with an emphasis on that of cities. The Acts required gasoline to contain clean-burning additives that include ethanol. Ethanol is a great alternative fuel for our country to invest in.
Ethanol and E85 fuels produce more energy than it takes to make them. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley examined six major studies of ethanol production and concluded that using ethanol made from corn would lead to a moderate 13 percent
Pro/Con Paper: Pros of Ethanol
Due: 12/07/11
Ethanol was first used in 1908 on Henry Ford's Model T. The Model T was designed so that it could be run on either gasoline or pure alcohol. When asked why he wanted to run the Model T on alcohol, Henry Ford replied by saying, “It is the fuel of the future.” The use of ethanol continued through the 1920's and 1930's in an effort to keep a United States ethanol program alive. Although the effort was unsuccessful, oil supply problems in the Middle East and environmental issues and concerns on the use of lead as an octane booster in gasoline brought focus back on to ethanol in the late 1970's. Ethanol production in 1998 was at 1.4 billion gallons compared to 175 million gallons in 1980. The Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 made a contribution to an economic crisis that revealed our dependence on imported oil. Lines at gas stations lengthened, stock markets slowly started to decline, and our nation was faced with an economic recession. Congress then passed the Energy Tax Act of 1978. This act provided made the 4 cents to the gallon federal fuel tax on gasoline exempt if the fuel was 10 percent ethanol. Congress continued to show and reveal Acts to promote fuel development in the domestic sector and energy conservation. Through the Clean Air Amendments of 1990, Congress acknowledged changes in fuels and their composition would contribute to reducing exhaust pollution. Two new gasoline standards were put into place to reduce fuel emissions in the polluted areas of our country, with an emphasis on that of cities. The Acts required gasoline to contain clean-burning additives that include ethanol. Ethanol is a great alternative fuel for our country to invest in.
Ethanol and E85 fuels produce more energy than it takes to make them. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley examined six major studies of ethanol production and concluded that using ethanol made from corn would lead to a moderate 13 percent