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Ethanol also has an "embedded fuel" prob-

Under the leadership of Charles Imbrecht,

lem, since the created energy is largely can-

the CEC was attracted to a liquid fuel that

celed by the energy used to plant, harvest, fer-

could promote "energy security" by eroding

141

ment, and distribute the agricultural fuel.

the 99 percent market share of petroleum,

Environmentalists have not given ethanol

while offering the near-term potential of

a free ride despite qualifying it as a renewable

reducing ozone-forming emissions by 50 per-

resource. One analysis complained that

cent, compared with gasoline vehicles, and

"heavy use of fossil fuels by current agricul-

reducing particulate emissions by 100 per-

tural practices renders ethanol . . . from corn

cent,  compared  to  diesel  vehicles.1 4 6

fermentation . . . non-sustainable as now pro-

Government-subsidized vehicle purchases

duced."1 4 2 As it does on the electricity-genera-

and conversions and public-private partner-

ships with ARCO, Chevron, and Exxon to

tion side, "sustainability" would require

offer methanol in service stations were

renewable energy inputs and a "closed loop

undertaken.  Distributions  from  the

system" in which the agricultural inputs were

Petroleum Violation Escrow Account (money

grown in proportion to usage.

collected from oil companies to settle dis-

The major environmental problem of

putes under the federal oil price regulation of

ethanol combustion is the higher evapora-

The major

the 1970s) also helped fund this alternative-

tive emissions of smog-producing volatile

environmental

fuel program.

organic compounds, which must be bal-

Despite a 100-million-mile demonstra-

anced against ethanol's reduction of the

problem of

tion program with "no negative results,"1 4 7

other smog precursor, NO . The recent

x

ethanol combus-

extension of ethanol's federal tax break

the methanol initiative proved to be more of

tion is the higher

from 2000 to 20071 4 3 was more a victory for

a pilot exercise than a jump-start to a mass

market. The political hope and favor for

agricultural interests for than the environ-

evaporative

methanol would fade in the 1990s as succes-

mental community, which has traditionally

emissions of

sive reformulations of gasoline and improve-

been ambivalent if not hostile toward this

ments in onboard vehicle technology signifi-

motor-fuel alternative.1 4 4

smog-producing

cantly reduced emissions at an affordable

volatile organic

Methanol

cost with no inconvenience to motorists.

compounds.

More important, however, was the fact

Methanol is a sister fuel to ethanol and

that consumers were discouraged by a variety

can be distilled from natural gas, coal, or

of additional costs of methanol, including

wood products mixed with 15 percent gaso-

car conversion, higher fuel costs, more fre-

line to produce a fuel known as M85. In the

quent oil changes, and lower vehicle resale

1970s and 1980s, methanol attracted large

value. A General Services Administration

government favor as a more viable and near-

study in 1991 estimated that those extras

term choice than other alternative-fuel vehi-

amounted to a $8,000 premium compared

cle technologies. In a congressional hearing

148

with a conventional vehicle.

in 1986, General Motors called methanol

Because

"America's energy `ace in the hole,'" while the

methanol fuel tanks were necessarily much

American Automobile Association described

larger than gasoline tanks (because of the

it as "the number one alternative fuel of the

lower energy density of methanol), motorists

future." The EPA also tagged methanol as

were also faced with less storage space in

"the most promising alternative to motor

methanol-fueled cars. The absence of flame

vehicle fuel for this country."1 4 5

luminosity during methanol combustion

also posed a safety problem.

The political home for methanol in these

The beginning of the end for methanol as

high-water years was the CEC, the nation's

a viable transportation alternative came in

largest state energy agency in the world's

late 1993 when the Los Angeles County

third largest transportation market (after

Metropolitan Transit Agency terminated its

Russia and the rest of the United States).

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