'Gasohol' May Cut Monoxide but Raise Smog, Study Asserts
Wald, ML
| HERO ID | 1248233 |
|---|---|
| Material Type | Newspaper |
| In Press | No |
| Year | 1990 |
| Title | 'Gasohol' May Cut Monoxide but Raise Smog, Study Asserts |
| Authors | Wald, ML |
| Journal | New York Times |
| Page Numbers | A.1 |
| Abstract | The study was prepared by a California consulting firm that has done extensive work for the governments of eight Northeastern states and California. It concludes that ''gasohol,'' or gasoline with 10 percent grain alcohol, would cut carbon monoxide by 25 percent, but that nitrogen oxides, which cause smog and acid rain, would rise by 8 to 15 percent, and hydrocarbons would rise by 50 percent. That works out to 6 percent more smog. Technical analysts are equivocal when it comes to the benefits of ethanol. ''The jury is still out,'' said Jerry Martin, a spokesman for the California board. ''We do know that there seems to be a reduction in carbon monoxide, but there seems to be some slight increase in nitrogen oxide. We have not determined as of yet which is the greater. We still are not certain whether there's a benefit or not.'' At the E.P.A., Richard D. Wilson, director of the Office of Mobile Sources, said the Senate proposal would improve air quality because it also calls for a 15 percent reduction in ozone, with no increase in nitrogen oxides. One way it would achieve this, Mr. Wilson said, is by cutting another component of gasoline called aromatics, heavy molecules that sometimes fail to burn completely. Another official at the California board, Thomas A. Cackette, said that ''if alcohol is used the way it is used today, the only conclusion you can have is that it hurts air quality.'' But he agreed with Mr. Wilson that the Senate plan would require other changes that would help air quality. |
| Is Certified Translation | No |
| Dupe Override | No |
| Is Public | Yes |
| Keyword | CLEAN AIR ACT; GASOHOL; ALCOHOL; AIR POLLUTION; OIL (PETROLEUM) AND GASOLINE; CARBON MONOXIDE; SMOG; (May 9; 1990) |
| Is Qa | No |