State slated for lower-octane gas

Jeffrey Libby

Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2001 | 11 a.m.

The main gasoline pipeline into Nevada will be pumping a lower-octane blend later this week as part of private industry agreement to move toward a cleaner gas formula.

California-based Kinder Morgan, which owns the largest gasoline pipeline in that state -- pumping 42 million gallons to gas distributors each day -- obtained agreements from refiners to cut octane in part as a cost-saving measure.

Premium grade gasoline sold in Nevada will drop from 92 octane to 91 and 89 octane will likely drop as well. Most stations offer 89 octane by mixing premium grade with the regular 87 octane fuel.

Rob Schlichting, spokesman for the California Energy Commission, said consumers should not see a drop in performance.

Octane levels measure a gasoline's ability to resist knocking or pinging. MTBE and other additives were introduced after the federal government phased out lead due to air quality concerns.

By 2003 California plans to stop use of the additive MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether), a gas compound that was initially introduced to allow production of "boutique blends" that burned better in particular climates. In recent years leaks of the chemical into the water table have elicited numerous lawsuits. Officials have found that MTBE is highly water soluable and difficult to clean up.

Ethanol, a derivative of corn, is being billed as the newer, cleaner solution.

But there is some question as to whether the industry is ready to introduce ethanol across the board. By 2003 California would need an estimated 660 million to 950 million gallons of ethanol a year, nearly half of the 1.6 billion gallons produced by farmers in the Midwest.