EPA’s Cheaper E15 Gas Plan Could Cost You More Than You Bargained For

With gas prices squeezing household budgets across the country, the EPA has stepped in with what it’s pitching as a quick fix. Starting May 1, the agency is temporarily expanding the availability of E15 gasoline, a fuel blend containing 15 percent ethanol rather than the standard 10 percent. The logic is simple enough. Ethanol is cheaper to produce than petroleum, so blending more of it into the fuel supply should nudge prices at the pump downward, by 10-25 cents per gallon less than standard gas. For drivers already wincing every time they fill up, that sounds like good news. The EPA says E15 is safe for most 2001-and-newer vehicles; however, the bigger risks apply to older vehicles, s …