Ethanol e85 in Texas gas stations

Ethan K.
Staff Writer

H-E-B stores have started selling E85 ethanol blend at select gas stations around the central Texas area. The e85 blend is 60 cents cheaper than regular unleaded at these select gas stations. "[It's] great for the environment. It's great for domestic fuel use to have an alternative from foreign oil. And it's great for the budget," H-E-B spokeswoman Leslie Lockett said. While ethanol burns 45 to 65 percent cleaner than its gasoline counterpart, I have a couple of concerns with it. First of all, I applaud Texas for getting serious about moving away from gasoline and finding alternative fuel sources. Okay...now the controversy...

Ethanol is really not cheaper than gasoline. It may be in Texas right now, but ethanol is actually forcing gas prices up at the pump. So why pay less for gas when ethanol is in demand and its price keeps rising? Gas costs rise with ethanol, so it is a catch 22 of sorts.

How about the energy content of ethanol? Some say that ethanol takes more energy to produce than gasoline and contains less energy than gas. This means more stops at the gas station. It also can not be carried in the existing gasoline infrastructure that is in place because it clings to water and dirt.

Okay, so these are a few negative sides to ethanol, but should that stop us from embracing it? I think that it would be silly to rely solely on corn to provide the means of producing ethanol. I think that these are just stumbling blocks that we are going to have to learn more about. Failure is the best teacher, so I think that we are on the right track. We should try all types of production methods and see what doesn't and does work. I think that we should continue to push ethanol into gasoline stations and start taking notes. This is the only way our country will learn how to adapt to a possible new fuel source. There are people on both sides of the fence, who trade arguments while our country continues its dependence on foreign oil. We need to dig deep and pull out the American ingenuity and strength that has built this great nation.

List of Ethanol stations in Central Texas

The following H-E-B stores along the Interstate 35 corridor, offer E-85 fuel:

• 17460 IH-35 North
  Schertz, Texas 78154
  (Exit at FM 3009/Natural Bridge Caverns)
  500 Canyon Ridge Drive
  Austin, Texas 78753
  
• (IH-35 and Parmer at Tech Ridge)
  
• 2511 Trimmier Road, Suite 100
  Killeen, Texas 76542
  (Trimmier Road off 190; near gates of Fort Hood)
  
• 15300 South IH-35
  Buda, Texas 78610
  (Southbound frontage of IH-35 in Buda)
  
• 801 IH-35 North
  Waco, Texas 76705
  (IH-35 and 84)