Agreed.

Ethanol shouldn’t be viewed as a replacement for gasoline but as an enhancement.. as the Cheapest source of Octane.. which it is.

All gasoline requires Octane.. about 30% of gasoline is an octane component.. We first used lead.. bad.. then MTBE.. which residue along a 6 lane interstate highway in California.. when it would rain.. would find a water source.. bad.  That liability recognition in about 2005 coincided with the 2nd Iraq war.. and corresponding spike in energy costs.. Thus President George W Bush signed the 2007 Clean Air act.. which was the driving force where we have nation wide E 10 and the majority of the 200 ethanol plants across rural America were built.

Brazil started pushing domestic Ethanol in the 1970s and has utilized it since then.. longer than the US.. Brazil was the model.. which at first used sugar cane.. but has recently expanded grain/corn as its primary feed stock.

The US took over leadership after the 2007 legislation.. but Brazil utilizes a higher blend rate of around 30%.

This legislation.. allowing consumers to have a choice.. may not move the needle much as some retailers.. refiners still offer ethanol free.. or limit the amount of non petroleum products they blend.  This legislation addresses that.. removing the legal barrier to offering higher ethanol blends which these refiners have relied upon to sell their more expensive.. and in most cases carcinogenic petroleum based octanes.. BTX.. Benzene, Toulene and Xylene are the most common used today.. all (like alcohol) have solvent properties and can be corrosive.. which the auto industry has mostly addressed.

The way forward is higher compression motors.. better fuel economy.. but higher octane.. so whether more ethanol blends or petroleum based.. the growth should occur in Octane market.

Refiners have upgraded their billion facilities by adding hydro cracker capacity.. CHS at McPherson Ks.. a relatively small.. idk.. 100,000 bbls/day (give or take.. 85 to 115 or thereabouts) spent $500 million to install a state of the art hydro cracker a few years ago in order to meet EPA requirements on sulfur in diesel fuel.

They take the sulfur out.. sell it to farmers as thiosul, ATS or 12-0-0-26 (all the same product just what people know it as) since sulfur in the soil is good for crops.. in the air is known as acid rain.. bad.  While doing this they can refine gasoline with subpar octane of.. idk.. 80 or thereabouts up to specifications.. however, this reduces the quantity and results in more byproducts.

Again today.. (and there’s a range) refiners should crack for max Diesel/ Kerosene.. lower octane gasoline.. and blend that with ethanol to make specification.. which can be done.

Collectively this is the optimum way to run the country.. stretching our limited resources the MOST EFFICIENT manner.

As Paul notes the bio diesel.. renewable diesel.. SAF (sustainable Air Fuel) from vegetable oils.. Soy oil, Corn oil, Canola, Sunflower etc..can be pursued as a dual track.. California is NOT renewing permits to crack crude oil into products.. forcing conversion to renewable diesel.. yes.. you can “refine” diesel out of vegetable oils.. vs “rock” or Petro.. oils..  in fact it’s way simpler but.. most refineries were set up to do the heavy lifting before the tail end.. with vegetable oils (more expensive feed stock..) but.. way easier to “crack.”  Aka.. your not utilizing the front end of the refinery.. cooker.. etc.

Anywho.  That’s kind of the lay of the land.. ethanol interests should be working WITH petroleum to extend the life of the ICE engine.. instead they are off conquering Venezuela.. and trying to open up the strait of Hormuz.. to secure petroleum supplies to further the gig..

Yes the US has excelled at hydralic fracturing shale formations.. it’s the equivalent of poking your straw into the ice at the bottom of your cup to extract the last of your drink.. as far as US Crude.. the Baken formation will last at current pumping rates for another couple decades.. then the Permian.. etc..

Weve found probably a 500 year supply of natural Gas this way.. but US Crude Oil PROVEN reserves.. currently is only 7 years.. and yes Oil Companies find and add reserves every year.. but not as much as we use.. so.. despite the propaganda of being the worlds largest Crude Oil producer.. which we currently are.. we should enjoy our 15 minutes of fame.. because we’re living on borrowed time.

We must develop alternatives.. for future generations.. as the US Crude Oil age will be sun setting soon.. aka 50 years or less.

EVs can shoulder part of the load.. see Elon Musks thoughts.. but nothing wrong with an ethanol enhanced internal combustion powered Ford Mustang.

The EV will win.. but the Mustang is just cooler..