PORTLAND, Ore. – When ethanol began flowing into Oregon fuel tanks early this year, its costly little secret was scarcely mentioned: It packs one-third less explosive energy than gasoline and so reduces vehicle mileage on the road.

Oregon requires a 10 percent blend with gasoline, known as E10, which cuts mileage by 3 percent, according to official estimates. That costs you an additional $73 a year at the fuel pump, based on today’s prices for regular gasoline.

But many Oregonians don’t believe the 3 percent figure and maintain the drop is 10 percent or more, raising out-of-pocket costs much higher. It’s enough to throw into question the real cost of cleaner air from ethanol use and reduced dependence on fossil fuels.

When Oregon lawmakers enthusiastically passed the alternative fuels bill in 2007, they barely mentioned ethanol’s lower energy content. Instead, they emphasized E10’s benefits: cleaner air and a healthier economy.

Now, record-high gas prices have thrown the mileage gap into sharp relief. Tapped-out consumers are scrutinizing every penny they have to shell out at the pump and track any discernable upticks. Drivers are finding that their mileage has dropped far more than 3 percent.

“It’s just not fair to anyone who drives a car,” said Ron Spuhler, a retiree who lives in Gresham, Ore., and now gets 21.5 miles per gallon in his 1999 Buick instead of the previous ethanol-free readings of 24 mpg.

That’s a drop of 10 percent and an extra $7 every time he fills the tank.

Plenty of factors influence gas mileage, so it’s hard to carve out the effects of ethanol alone. Government, academic and industry experts point to a scientific principal to back up claims of slight reductions: ethanol contains about two-thirds the energy content of gasoline, gallon for gallon.

That means a gallon of pure, corn-based ethanol would reduce mileage by 30 percent and a 10 percent blend – as Oregon now requires – by about 3 percent. Gasoline can vary a bit, batch to batch, so a drop of 2 percent to 4 percent is a safe estimate, these experts say.

“Energy content is the critical issue,” said Don Stevens, a senior program manager with the U.S. Department of Energy.

Comprehensive studies that rely on actual road tests for mileage comparisons are few, but they generally support the science-based data. A study by the American Coalition for Ethanol, a trade group promoting ethanol’s development, tested three vehicles and came up with an average reduction of 1.5 percent.

If ethanol isn’t to blame for the larger mileage gap, then, what is? Stop-and-go driving, speeds exceeding 60 miles per hour, underinflated tires, faulty oxygen sensors and clogged fuel filters can affect gas mileage, sometimes significantly, government energy analysts said.

“Some individuals may well believe their mileage is dropping by 10, 20 percent,” Stevens said. “But the difference is from some other factor, not ethanol.”

Mark Kendall, a senior energy analyst with the Oregon Department of Energy, agreed, saying painfully high gas prices may be pushing consumers toward faulty conclusions.

“They’re looking for the devil,” he said.

But E85, which contains 85 percent ethanol and is used in flexible-fuel vehicles, is a different story. It can pull down mileage by more than 20 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Spuhler, like so many Oregonians, is unimpressed with the government’s account.

He insists the truth comes out when the rubber meets the road. Decades as a truck driver taught him the ups and downs of gas mileage, he said.

Besides, he said, his Buick has a computerized mileage read-out and “it doesn’t lie.”

For years, gas stations in the greater Portland area have pumped E10 in the winter months to meet federal clean air requirements. “I noticed it every time,” Spuhler said.

Spuhler said he has complained to state and federal officials but “it’s like talking to a brick wall.”

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James Bong, who lives in Milwaukie, Ore., and drives a 1994 Ford pickup to work in Oregon City, has channeled his frustration into trips across the Columbia River into Washington state, where he fills up on ethanol-free gasoline.

Sherman Harris owns the 76 station in Vancouver, Wash., that Bong visits. He said an “amazing number” of Oregon drivers seek him out.

“They say they’re noticing a huge difference,” Harris said of the Oregon customers. “If they’re driving from Oregon, across the bridge, they should know what they’re talking about.”

Washington stations must pump at least E2 – a blend of 2 percent ethanol – by Dec. 1 of this year, with increases to E10 if certain conditions are met. Many already have made the switch.

Harris’ station is one of the few that still uses no ethanol at all.

Bong said his truck gets 13.9 miles per gallon with Harris’ gas but just 10 mpg with E10. That’s a wallet-pounding difference of 28 percent.

“I’ll do anything to shave a cost,” he said.

Bong rejects officials’ arguments that poor maintenance or inconsistent driving behavior is to blame. He said he takes good care of both his vehicles – he also owns a four-wheel-drive pickup – and has compared mileage over like terrain.

“They can say what they want, but those of us who use cars and observe what’s going on, we notice a big difference,” Bong said.

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State officials say motorists shouldn’t lose sight of the big picture: that ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline – fewer smog-causing pollutants – and reduces the country’s dependence on foreign oil.

Another plus, they say, is that ethanol is cheaper than gasoline. In the Pacific Northwest, pure ethanol has been selling for $2.09 a gallon, compared with no-ethanol gasoline at $3.25 a gallon. E10 blends, then, dampen prices by almost 12 cents a gallon.

If ethanol’s contribution to the country’s overall fuel supply is taken into account, the savings are larger – between 29 and 40 cents a gallon – say researchers at Iowa State University. Ethanol currently accounts for about 6 percent of U.S. fuel supplies. If it were pulled from the mix, demand for gasoline would spike and so would prices, these researchers concluded.

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That’s of little comfort to consumers watching pump prices as they climb toward $4 a gallon. When a customer from Oregon drove into Harris’ station one day last week to ask for a fill-up, he pointed to a big barrel in the back of his pickup. He wanted that filled too.

RB END HILL

(Gail Kinsey Hill is a staff writer for The Oregonian of Portland, Ore., and can be contacted at gailhill(at)news.oregonian.com)

2008-05-23-ETHANOL-EXPENSE

AP-NY-05-23-08 1525EDT