Davis Wants Ethanol Waiver

Governor Davis again has urged the federal Environmental Protection Agency to overturn its requirement that California add ethanol to its gasoline

Speaking at a Brentwood gas station today, Davis requested a waiver that would keep ethanol from being added to most of the state´s gasoline. The EPA denied a similar request two years ago.

The California Energy Commission estimates that ethanol increases the cost of gas and is not needed in the state´s gas supplies. Ethanol is an ethyl alcohol made from fermenting and distilling starches from corn and other crops. Advocates say it reduces carbon monoxide and toxic chemical emissions from tailpipes, but some scientists argue that more energy from fossil fuels is used to make ethanol than it replaces.