"Al" wrote in message . ..
I just happened to see a sticker on a fuel pump today that stated "may contain up to 10% ethanol" while I was filling
my car this morning. Upon further investigation with my fuel retailer, the local fuel jobber, and the fuel distributor
here in Spokane, Washington that there is a federal mandate to add 9 billion gallons of ethanol per year to the
nationwide gasoline fuel stream. A new twist is a 5.1 cent per gallon federal fuel tax break to the oil companies to
get this "alternative" fuel into the market. Tomorrow (April 8) is the first day of the program and the dealers get
their price tonight. According to my sources, there is a possibility that some retailers may opt out, however if that
5.1 cent break is passed on to them, it won't be likely.


Worse than that, htere is NO requirement from the feds to mark the gas pumps with the 'may contain 10%' warning. There
may be a local or state requirement to do so though. I wonder if the gas companies will pass on the 5.1 cent savings to
us (Not!) to compensate for the degraded performance (read mileage) the contaminated gasoline provides.



I was lucky and just happened to ask the right question at the right time. I haven't seen an outcry on this issue by
EAA, AOPA or any other aviation group.

This is a nationwide situation. Not just in a few states. You may not find non-ethanol autogas at your usual outlet.
Our jobber started mixing in ethanol last week, however I had not purchased any since mid-March so was unaware.

In essence, with the 5.1 cent per gallon tax break, the US federal government has just killed the Aviation autogas
concept.

I'm trying to locate a new source, but may not be successful. The ethanol is added at the distribution rack. Chevron
and a couple others are requiring their retailers to go to E-10.


Al
Spokane, Wa
1964 Skyhawk with an AutoGas STC


Like you said above, the ethanol is added at the the distribution rack. There is a chance that uncontaminated gasoline
can be purchased there. I did see a pump at the marina labeled 'no ethanol added' here in Michigan last summer...

Dan
Kalamazoo, MI
1960 172A (not a Skyhawk yet) autogas STC