While the American Lung Association has been accused of being anti- ethanol, we consider our position to be neither anti nor pro ethanol. Our view is that ethanol should be used in gasoline when it can help provide useful properties to reduce air pollution and it should be discouraged from being used if the result is increased air pollution. Therefore, the ALA supports the use of ethanol in the wintertime oxy-fuel program to help reduce unhealthy levels of carbon monoxide. But as you know, the air pollution effort against CO is being won and the number of these areas is diminishing. This is due primarily to improvements in emissions control equipment on new cars.
Ethanol helps to reduce CO tailpipe emissions from older vehicles.
Clean Octane Ethanol is a good source of octane and contains no aromatics and modest levels of sulfur. These three attributes make it useful as a blending component in gasoline. As a result, refiners use ethanol to help achieve limits on toxic aromatics and sulfur in the RFG program. We anticipate refiners will also use ethanol to help meet sulfur limits in EPA's recently promulgated Tier II sulfur limits for conventional gasoline which begins in 2004. The findings above demonstrate why the ALA does not support mandating ethanol to achieve any other outcome besides CO reductions in the wintertime.