Common type of rail car has dangerous design flaw

[ngauger]

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[talltim]

How do they compare in safety per gallon/mile with road tankers? I suppose tho, their greater capacity means that one ruptured tank has more explosive potential than one road tanker

[doctorwayne]

The obvious solution is to stop producing ethanol. It's production uses more energy than the product offers and produces more emissions and greenhouse gas than the use of ethanol prevents. In addition, the acreage devoted to growing the raw material for its production (usually corn) could be better used to grow food.
Perhaps, since the tax credit for ethanol production expired in January, its use will decrease. Approximately 40% of the corn grown in the U.S. is used for ethanol production, driving up the cost of food products, especially those involving meat and poultry. This subsidy cost almost $6 billion in 2011, all in an effort to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

Meanwhile, there's foreign oil aplenty not all that far away, although the Chinese are currently attempting to not only move much of it much farther away, but also to control its production. I'm speaking, of course, of Alberta's oil sands, the third largest proven reserves of oil on this planet.
Evidently, the Canadian government is no brighter than that of the U.S., as they seem to have no compunction about allowing control to slip from our grasp. Further to that, the plan is to export relatively unrefined product ( not the value-added stuff that creates jobs and wealth) not only missing out on that opportunity, but also foregoing control over the environmental impact of refineries not subject to the more stringent controls of North American governmental agencies. Anybody who thinks that pollution produced in Asia stays in Asia has their head up their....uh, their head in the ground.

Sorry for the rant, but this is one issue that just turns my crank.

Wayne

[Charlie B]

Very well put Wayne. Ethanol is a real environmental disaster yet it is paraded as the savior of the fuel business. In addition to what you mentioned, It is destroying our engines. Small engines especially 2 stroke are failing from this stuff.
On recent trips to the west end of Ohio I noticed lots of corn being grown, but no cattle being fed. Ground beef is about twice what it should be.
almost every food we consume derives from or has some form of corn in it. Out government want to increase ethanol from 10 percent to 15 which is even worse. There is still ethanol free gasoline out there but you have to search for it. I get 4 more miles per gallon on my Focus when I get lucky and find it.
Currently we have a war on coal in this country when we should be developing clean fuels from our own coal.
We too are drilling for Natural gas in this area, and a lot has been discovered, causing natural gas prices to drop for folks heating their homes. Now the push is on to convert the power plants to burn natural gas which in turn will increase the price of both electricity and natural gas to the consumer.

Charlie.

[doctorwayne]

You're right about coal, Charlie. It can be made to burn as clean as natural gas and it would be not only more cost effective but also more practical to accomplish if the necessary modifications were made to power plants and other large users of coal. Once those users begin consuming natural gas, not only will gas prices soar, but the available gas will be used up that much more quickly. When it's gone, homeowners won't have the opportunity (or resources) to convert to coal heat.
Governmental foresight extends only far enough to retain ones personal position through the next election.

Wayne