New fuel isn't right mix for Chicago
July 24, 2014
Supporters of requiring a new fuel blend at Chicago gas stations haven't made their case this is the time or place to do it.
On Monday, the Finance Committee is scheduled to consider an ordinance introduced by Ald. Edward Burke (14th) and Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) that would make Chicago the first jurisdiction in the nation to require filling stations to offer a higher ethanol blend called E15 at their fuel pumps. E15 is so named because it would be 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline.
When you buy regular gasoline now, you're almost always getting E10, which is 10 percent ethanol. Alternative-fuels backers would like to raise that to 15 percent, a 50 percent boost. They argue that burning more ethanol and less gasoline would save motorists money, would reduce dependence on foreign oil and would be more environmentally friendly. Under the Energy Independence Security Act of 2007, the use of biofuels such as ethanol is mandated to rise from 4.7 billion gallons nationwide in 2007 to 36 billion gallons by 2022.
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