Federal incentives for ethanol lead to more oil consumption

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The alternative fuel E85 seems to be everywhere.

It's in ads by General Motors, the world's biggest automaker, and speeches by politicians including President Bush. Politicians, environmentalists and automakers are pointing to E85 to reduce the nation's reliance on oil.

The mix of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol can be made from corn and other domestic crops, and supporters say it could reduce pollution and oil imports.

But from 1996 to 2000, federal incentives to encourage E85 actually led to more oil being consumed -- a situation we explain in our series of videos about looking for E85 across America. The videos are at www.semissourian.com.

In order for E85 to drive oil consumption down instead of up, far more people would have to use it. But before they can do that, they have to find it.

On a trip from Los Angeles to New York, we tried to see how easy it was to fill up with the fuel on a route that included stops in Phoenix, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, Jefferson City, Mo., Louisville, Ky., and Pittsburgh.

We found that while E85 is promoted across the country, its availability isn't nearly as wide.

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