Had a conversation at the gas pump the other day

[Horse with no Name]

with someone that I was acquainted with...and she is a small business owner.

She was telling me that she heard on the news that they are trying to pass legislation that you will be REQUIRED to purchase at least 4 gallons of gas due to the amount of ethanol in the gas--apparently getting less than 4 gallons can cause you to get more ethanol than gasoline. I hadn't heard of any of this. She then went on to add that this will be difficult for single mothers who have to scrape together $5 to get enough gas to go to work...to take the kids to school, etc.

We never delved into politics and who supported who...but I really got a sense of genuine concern.

Does anyone know anything about what she was speaking of? Because personally? I think there ought to be legislation to take the ethanol out of gasoline than enforcing minimum purchases--because honestly? I have had to roll pennies in my lifetime to get enough gas to last until the next day. Sometimes I just didn't have $16 lying around.

[LiberalAndProud]

1. Jim Sensenbrenner has blogged about it here.

Consider the source.

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-a-environment/249857-epas-four-gallon-minimum-mandate

[Horse with no Name]

2. Ugghh I just ate

Do I have to? LOL

[LiberalAndProud]

5. Nah.

http://www.acttesoro.com/news/republicans-question-obama-administration-minimum-fuel-purchase-mandate/

Folks who have to roll pennies for gas will need to find stations that don't use the blender pumps. Sensenbrenner thinks it's government overreach.

I suspect if the EPA hadn't approved E-15, he would find fault with that too, as government overreach.

[subterranean]

3. I hadn't heard about this, but evidently it's true.

However, it's only for E15 fuel, which contains 15% ethanol. Most gasoline now contains 10% or less, and if you buy that, you won't have to buy 4 gallons.

Source:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/09/21/15-ethanol-minimum/70000853/1#.UGT_BVFrhPU

[Travis_0004]

4. Interesting

If I fill up a motorcycle, unless I stall it into the station, there is no way I'm putting 4 gallons of gas into it, unless I spray the last half gallon on the ground, and I doubt the EPA wants me to do that.

[dsc]

6. most lawnmower owners would have the same problem I would think

they need to rethink that as it does seem problematic.

[LiberalAndProud]

8. If you put undiluted E15 into a small engine, it will destroy the small engine.

This is why the EPA has mandated a minimum purchase at blender pumps -- to prevent small engine blowups.

[JoeyT]

9. It won't be that much of a problem.

It's for E15, not E10. You don't want to put E15 into a small engine of any kind anyway because it will screw them up. E10 is bad enough on them. It's why you can't keep a primer bulb or fuel line on older chainsaws and lawn mowers.

I've never actually seen an E15 pump. I've seen E10 and E85.

E10s you can spot by the "Fuel May Contain Up To 10% Ethanol" sticker on them. Presumably E15s would have one that had 15% Ethanol. E85 is Flex Fuel.

Edited to add: Yep, there's a sticker:

[russspeakeasy]

11. Thanks for the post..

[former-republican]

10. It's not just small engines it's crap for large outboards also.

[LiberalAndProud]

7. That was one of Jim's arguments against this mandate.