11/18/05 Irrigation audits

There is going to be another attempt in the legislature to get ethanol added to Idaho gasoline. So before the campaign starts a look at some of the myths about ethanol which is fully warranted and authorized for use by all major US car makers. We asked Idaho Farm Bureau's Russ Hendricks about ethanol's clean air capabilities. HENDRICKS "There will be up to a 30 percent reduction in carbon monoxide, up to a 50 percent reduction in PM 2.5 which is the little teeny, tiny particles. There's a 25 percent reduction in Benzene emissions." Hendricks says it's not true, as some would charge, that it takes more energy to produce ethanol than you receive in the final product. HENDRICKS "You still get 67 percent more energy out the ethanol than was put into producing it." Hendricks says there are some pricing advantages to using ethanol blended fuels, even at ten percent. HENDRICKS "Not only is there a 5.1 cent per gallon reduction in the federal fuel tax on a ten percent ethanol blend but ethanol also adds value to gasoline because it's higher in octane." In our next report, what kind of ethanol bill does he envision? Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott