MTBE

["Rich Wagner" <drsavage@xxxxxxx>]

Paul wrote:

>Back when California Senate Bill SB-42 was forming I had a pretty active
>webpage going on the subject and some of it dealt a bit with the MTBE
issue.
>	.
>	.
>	.
>I know this is mostly a California issue right now but....

Paul, we've been using both ethanol and MTBE for some time in Colorado. 
You may want to begin researching our experiences here.  Aside of the
health issues, my own experience indicates a significant reduction in fuel
milage using both MTBE and ethanol. This is expected.  However, I have
found that my cars seem to run better on the ethanol blend than they do on
the MTBE blend.  Mostly, I notice a smoother idle on the ethanol blend.

Right now, we only get the blended fuel during the winter.  With my
Mitsubishi Mirage, I can easily tell when the gas stations begin receiving
that fuel.  On the normal fuel that we get the rest of the year, it gets
about 440 miles on a tankful.  On the blends, it gets only about 380.

If you want to do some solid health research, begin surveying the cities
along the front range:  Fort Collins, Denver, Castle Rock, Colorado
Springs, and Pueblo.  If there is a significant health risk, you should see
some manifestation of it here.  During the winter, the entire front range
is prone to inversions, keeping all of the polutants near the ground, where
we can all breathe them.  Indeed, this is the reason the CO legislature
mandated the use of winter blends to begin with.

Let us know what you find out.


Rich
Manitou Springs, CO
'82 GTV6 Balocco

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