Miata Mailing List: December 1993, Message #185
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   From: Herb Samuels 
Subject: Texaco - Ethanol vs. MBTE
   Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1993 08:49:21 -0500

Gary: I live in New Rochelle and have bought gasoline at various
Mobile and Texico stations from Yonkers to North White Plains and
always check for the type of additive.  Every gas station indicates
MTBE as an additive and none use ethanol in this area of the country.
You can also smell the MTBE when you pump the gas as well.  I think
that in the midwest and other regions of the country ethanol is used
because it's a by-product of corn and the farmers have a strong lobby.
However, if Clinton has his way in the revised clean air act ethanol
will be used more frequently in this and other areas of the country.
I agree that ethanol has the problems that you indicate particularly
when the gas contains it in the winter and does not in the summer.  If
it were used all year the varnish problem wouldn't be as bad although
the mileage would be poorer since ethanol contains leas energy than
gas hydrocarbons.

Herb Samuels