8 THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2005
Ethanol goes into stealth mode
By Liz NARTOWICZ
lnartowicz@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Ding.
The mechanics at Westside 66 & Carwash,2815 West Sixth St., know this sound. It is the bell inside their garage that signals a customer is at the pump waiting for full service.
Full service, like drive-in theatres and soda shops, is almost a thing of the past. Full service includes window washing, an oil check and a full tank of gasoline, something that could fade away with time.
Labels defining whether pumps have gasoline that contains ethyl alcohol will soon also become part of the past.
The governor signed the bill into law on April 4. It will go into effect on July 1 and gas stations will no longer be required to label their pumps, Kansas law currently requires stations to clearly mark any pump that sells ethanol fuel. The more common ethanol fuel is E10. E10 is 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent ethyl alcohol. The less common
ethanol fuel is E85.
The law was passed to protect vehicles that could not perform with E10, said Carole Jordan, director of rural development for the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Vehicles manufactured before the mid '80s were not compatible with the fuel, she said.
Jordan said these damages were no longer an issue because cars manufactured after the mid 80s are compatible with ethanol and therefore the law was outdated. "The labeling laws go back to the olden days," Jordan said. "Now, most cars can run on either gasoline or E10."
Richard Haig, owner of Westside 66 & Carwash, said E10 would harm these older vehicles. It would dissolve the glues in the charcoal canisters and clog the carburetor's fuel filter.
Because most cars are fuelflexible, the Kansas Energy Council proposed Bill 56 to eliminate the required labels and encourage the sale of E10.
Scott White, KEC member, said he felt the labels fostered the fear that ethanol would harm all cars. He said removing the labels would open up the door to alternative fuel sources and that ethanol sales would increase.
"It's true," Jordan said. in other states where labels were removed, ethanol sales have skyrocketed."
Ethanol production is already growing in Kansas, said Sue Schulte, director of communications for the Kansas Corn Grower Association. Six ethanol plants are in operation and a seventh will open in Garnett this July. According to KCGA, Kansas currently has a production capacity of 135 million gallons. The Garnett plant will add another 35 million gallons. Two other plants are in various stages of planning according to KCGA.
"I feel ethanol will play a big part in the future," said Curt Wright, vice president of operations at Taylor Oil in Wellsville. "There's no doubt that stations will increase their usage of E10 after July 1."
E10 LOCATIONS
Wright, who opposed Bill 56, said ethanol sales would increase because right now E10 is less expensive than gasoline. E10 is estimated to be between
Citgo
2005 W. Ninth' St.
Hy-Vee Gas 4000 W. Sixth St.
ClintonCove Mini Mart
1423 E. 900 Rd.
KwikShop
♦ KwikShop
1611 E. 23rd St.
4841 W. Sixth St.
1846 Massachusetts St.
3440 W. Sixth St.
845 Mississippi St.
1714 W. 23rd St.
1420 S. Kasold Dr. #A
two and ten cents less expensive.
"But it won't always be this way," Wright said.
Ethanol prices, like gasoline prices, fluctuate. For now, E10 is less expensive but that can always change. Wright said.
Haig said the price the consumer pays for E10 could change even if the retailer's cost remained less expensive. Haig said without the labels alerting consumers to ethanol fuels, retailers could price E10 at the
"I wouldn't be surprised if all stations do it," Rich Shears, Omaha senior, said.
Shears drives his girlfriend's 2003 Honda Civic and is in the habit of filling it up with the cheapest gas. Shears said he did not pay attention to the labels but still felt it was unfair to remove them.
"It's taking away a freedom, a consumer's freedom," Shears said. "The intellectual freedom to make an informed decision."
Haig wants to make sure consumers keep this freedom. Haig said he was getting a banner that told consumers his garage only sold 100 percent gasoline. He said he planned to hang the banner across a red, mini semi truck that would be in front of the station.
Although Haig said he was optimistic consumers would still want gasoline, he said E10 could become more popular than gasoline in the future. But as for now, he said he would fight it as long as possible.
Edited by Erin M. Droste
WHAT WE CAN DO!
- Lowest Available Rates
- 100% Purchase Financing
- Easy Qualifications
- Reduce Monthly Payments
- No Application Fees
- Mortgage Loans
- Consolidate High Interest
- Low Monthly Payments
- Quick Approval
- Capitalize On Appreciation
- Debt
- Hard to Prove Income
- Less Than Perfect Credit
LOW CREDIT SCORES WILL NOT BE BEAT!! "We will not be beat on rates!" Call now to speak with understanding representatives 1-800-615-4177