Gas shortages hit the East Coast

They say this shortage could last for just over a month or so. Actually there is enough crude, they are just shortage of ethanol. Gas went up 4 cents here yesterday up to 1.169/litre.

The shortages are not because refiners are not making enough gasoline, or because of a recent rupture on the key Plantation Pipeline that carries supplies from the Gulf Coast to the East Coast, industry officials said.

Rather, the oil industry is rapidly eliminating a gasoline additive called MTBE, banned in several states for polluting ground water, and replacing it with ethanol, a renewable fuel that can't be shipped by pipeline because it absorbs water.

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[edit on 21-4-2006 by valkeryie]

gas is 2.95/gallon in michigan. I donno where its heading. & there are no signs of coming it down. I am sure my memorial weekend it will hit 3.50/gallon.

MTBE is pretty nasty stuff though. Its a gas additive, that can't be allowed into the drinking water, BUT most gas stations seem to have cracks in their storage tanks, so the stuff is leaking into the ground and ground water pretty much everywhere.