Urgent! (can't find non-E10-gasoline)

[niky]

It's sad that many disagree with the Bio-Fuel law. If we look beyond our parochial concerns we will see that it benefits the entire nation. It is one of the few laws passed in this decade that placed the welfare of the many over the concerns of the few.

Bio-Fuel laws actually place the concern of the agricultural lobby over the welfare of the rest of the population, and are used in some industrialized countries as a means of subsidizing agriculture through taxation.

If we're enacting laws for the welfare of the many (if, by welfare, we're looking at removing pollutants), we'd be adding more taxes to fuel instead of alcohol. Taxes that would be put into adding more renewable energy to our public infrastructure (hydro and wind power stations) and which would go to making our cities more pedestrian and bicycle friendly.

In the long term, the positive impact of bio fuel use on the environment in terms of reduced harmful emissions far outweighs the impact it may have on a portion of the population who owns vehicles that might be adversely affected. Let's not forget that our vehicles burn fuel, and each time we drive, we contribute to polluting the environment. By reducing our carbon footprint we're decreasing the risk of ill-effects to millions of other non-car owning Filipinos.

Bio-fuels will not reduce a car's carbon footprint. There's a reason biofuels cost more per liter than gasoline. It takes a lot of energy to grow crops for biofuels and a lot more to refine these crops into alcohol for use in automobiles. Then you consider transport costs, storage costs (you can't use regular gasoline storage, due to the danger of water contamination with ethanol) and mixing costs... the only way for biofuels to actually reduce a vehicle's carbon foot print is if you're using straight vegetable oil (unprocessed).

Add to that the beneficial effect to our agricultural sector. Let's not forget that ethanol is derived from crops like corn which we grow locally. Contrast this to petroleum which we import, a burden that contributes to the depletion of our country's limited dollar reserves.

Aside from the fact that we can't produce enough ethanol locally, as ghosthunter pointed out, corn is one of the worst crops to use for biofuel. The most efficient biofuel crop is actually sugarcane. There was a promise of renewed vigor in the sugarcane growing sector from the biofuels law, but we have yet to see enough local production to meet our needs.

But the resentment is understandable. Laws such as this that places national interest over sectoral concerns goes through a phase of unpopularity, that is until the long term effects are felt.

We're never going to "feel" a positive environmental effect from biofuels... A 10% blending is just too small to affect the total carbon output of motor vehicles in the Philippines, especially given the fact that ethanol production isn't exactly carbon-neutral, as I noted above.

If we look at other countries, we will see that the Philippines is late in joining the bandwagon. Ethanol mix is higher in other countries and they're starting to feel the benefits in terms of cleaner air and reduced dependence on imported oil.

They're not. Not even the US, which is one of the biggest ethanol producers, has enough production to seriously dent its use of foreign oil. And other countries give consumers a choice in terms of fuels, recognizing that many small motors (lawnmowers, weed whackers, etcetera) and marine users can't use ethanol as easily. In fact, there are groups that keep track of non-mixed gasolines so consumers who actually need "pure" gas can find it. Our government doesn't seem to give a damn about the negative economic effects that mandating E10 for all gas has.

I'd be much happier, actually, if they cleaned up our diesel... as mandating low-sulfur diesel will have a more immediate and long-lasting effect on the quality of local air and more health benefits than mandating E10 does. And I'd be even happier if instead of mandating E10, they'd allow for "pure" gas, E10 and mandate that companies sell a percentage of E85... as I'd like to be able to make that switch. I was waiting for SeaOil's E85, but it never came. I had plans of making my car run on gasoline, E85 and LPG. As it is, it only uses two of the three... :griN: