Is Louisiana now requiring Ethanol in their gasoline? (New Orleans, Shreveport: 2009, buy)

[sailordave]

Two of my favorite gas stations have now switched to 10% ethanol. What's going on? Is this a new state requirement like in other parts of the country?

[Innotech]

I work for a gasoline transportation company. areas that have ethanol almost exclusively now are Shreveport/Bossier city and Baton rouge. New Orleans and Lafayette areas still have some conventional fuel that we haul. Its not yet REQUIRED but the state obviously encourages it.

[hdwell]

Thank you Innotech for clearing that up. I've been curious myself but couldn't answer Sailordaves post.

[hindsight2020]

I live in Shreveport and I run mogas on my cessna aircraft. The supplemental certificate requires that automotive gas utilized for aviation applications be ethanol-free. This is done obviously because ethanol is water-absorbing, which means higher risk of water collection in the fuel tanks due to aircraft sitting on ramps for longer than the average car (which goes through a tank of gas in less than a week) and the interaction of water in the fuel system at altitude (exposed to supercooling) along with the increased volatility ethanol creates, increases the odds of vapor locking. It also vaporizes easier at altitude, which are all negatives for aviation use.

The difference between car gas and 100LL is about a 100% price increase, so it's worth my time, but unfortunately this ethanol lobby is killing the gig. The only source of ethanol-free car gas I have is on base. Outside base, forget it, nowhere to be found.

If this was Brazil and we had acres of sugar cane sitting idle then sure, go at it. As it stands, it's insolvent and it's a net negative on the energy curve (takes more energy, fossil-fuel mind you, to make it than what you get out of it). Ethanol blows....

[Innotech]

ethanol definitely sucks, because if you get even an inch of water in a holding tank, it has to be pumped out. It causes so much headaches and retains.

[marmac]

Been using 10% ethanol for years in Minnesota and experiencing no problems.

good stuff

[sailordave]

Originally Posted by marmac

Been using 10% ethanol for years in Minnesota and experiencing no problems.

good stuff

Minnesota isn't anywhere near as humid as south Louisiana.

[Rosinante]

Originally Posted by Innotech

I work for a gasoline transportation company. areas that have ethanol almost exclusively now are Shreveport/Bossier city and Baton rouge. New Orleans and Lafayette areas still have some conventional fuel that we haul. Its not yet REQUIRED but the state obviously encourages it.

Actually Kathleen Baboon Blanco signed the bill into law in 2006, making ethanol a requirement. Supposedly the entire state was to begin selling ethanol for autos on 1/1/2009.

Ethanol Mandate Signed into Law in Louisiana | Pew Center on Global Climate Change: The Pew Center on Global Climate Change

[Innotech]

Originally Posted by Rosinante

Actually Kathleen Baboon Blanco signed the bill into law in 2006, making ethanol a requirement. Supposedly the entire state was to begin selling ethanol for autos on 1/1/2009.

Ethanol Mandate Signed into Law in Louisiana | Pew Center on Global Climate Change: The Pew Center on Global Climate Change

there are still lots of stores out there using conventional gasoline. Some stores also splash blend conventional fuel with 10% ethanol

[Rosinante]

Please provide a list of stations in Louisiana (or southwestern Mississippi, for that matter) where I can buy pure, non-oxygenated gasoline for my cars and motorcycle. Since it is supposed to be against the law to sell pure gas — and the subject was discussed on WJBO radio last December before the law went into effect — it may be advisable, Innotech, to send me a PM just in case the LSP is monitoring this thread.