We told you so

I just wanted to point out this little article in The Independent to all of our state legislators who were hell bent on mandating ethanol earlier this year.

There is an anti-ethanol rebellion brewing, however, but it is not happening on America's highways. The rumbles of protest are being heard instead on rivers, lakes and along its shores, as boat owners discover that ethanol can sometimes be ruinous to their beloved yachts and cruisers.

As more marinas follow the national trend by offering only fuels with the 10 per cent ethanol blend, boat owners find they have no choice but to buy it, even as evidence accumulates that ethanol, benign though it is to the atmosphere, can leave boats dead in the water.

The problems were detailed in a report published by the Boat Owners Association of the United States, or Boat US. They are particularly worrisome for people with older boats fitted with fibreglass fuel tanks. Introduce ethanol to them, and a chemical reaction produces a black muck. The muck and marine engines do not mix well.

Now that wouldn't have been a problem here in Wisconsin, now would it have been? Especially with those two big lakes to our north and east, and a handful of inland lakes. (\sarcasm)

BoatUS's summary of E10 gasoline and fiberglass gas tanks
August 26 Journal Sentinel Article on effects in Milwaukee