Driving Force Online 6/13/2013

[BonzoHansen]

Corn and Fuel Don't Mix: The Case Against Ethanol

Fed a steady diet of corn, a staggering number of vintage vehicles in the United States are now suffering from clogged arteries. The culprit? Ethanol.
The issue is straightforward. Countries around the world are supplementing their gasoline with biofuels, primarily ethanol. In the United States, ethanol is distilled from corn but cellulosic ethanol can also be distilled from switchgrass, sugarcane, wood chips and other agricultural byproducts. Supplementing the petroleum-based fuel supply in this manner may be a well-intentioned effort to reduce oil dependency, but it is not cost-effective and results in severe consequences to your collector vehicle’s engine. (Read more)

Legislative Front Lines
Click here for the complete list of Legislative Alerts

• Florida Bill to Eliminate Ethanol Requirement Signed Into Law
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• Nevada Pro-Hobbyist Inoperable Vehicle Bill Signed Into Law
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• Maine Bill to Prohibit Ethanol Blended Gasoline Amended and Approved by Legislature
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• Arkansas Bill to Ease Construction of Racing Facilities Dies as Legislature Adjourns
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• Missouri Bill to Provide for Single License Plate Dies as Legislature Adjourns.

SEMA SAN Strike Force
Motivated by an unwavering determination to keep vintage vehicles protected, Tom Shaw continues to voice concerns about the corrosive effects of ethanol blended gasoline to his lawmakers. As his home state considered a pro-hobby ethanol bill, he relayed that the legislation would help car enthusiasts like himself who own vehicles similar to his 1966 Ford wagon. .

The ethanol topic has been very hot lately. In the state of Florida, an unprecedented effort in the fight to reduce regulations of the fuel was successful when Governor Rick Scott signed into law legislation to repeal the requirement that all gasoline offered for sale in the state contain a percentage of ethanol. Lakeland's Tom Shaw was among the many who took action to defend this bill and request its enactment into law. Not only did he answer each legislative alert issued by the SAN as the bill moved through the legislature but he included a photo featuring damage to a carburetor caused by E10 when doing so. As a result of the excellent visual, this image has since been featured in several publications attached to ethanol articles, including the lead story of the Summer edition of Driving Force. By contacting his state's lawmakers about the fuel blend's harmful effects and lending the symbolic image for demonstration, Shaw has certainly gone the extra mile in the campaign against ethanol. Keep up the great work, Tom!

SAN CLUB EVENTS

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