'This could be a problem': Change to federal regulations to fuel raise air quality concerns for rese

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]A recent change to nationwide environmental regulations could save you more when filling up your gas tank, but environmental experts worry about the risk it could cause as temperatures begin to rise. Ryan Hermonat tells us about the new rules surrounding ethanol levels at the pump.

[00:00:17]>> For nearly a month now, the federal government has allowed gas stations to sell fuel containing higher percentages of ethanol. I'm told there's pros and cons to this. The pro is you'll likely be paying less at the pump, but researchers aren't too sure about what this means for the environment.

[00:00:35]>> This could be a problem.

[00:00:36]>> When at the gas pump, you may see a sticker that looks like this disclosing how much ethanol is in your fuel. As Cornell's chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Gillian Goldfarb explains, it's an additive that decreases the price per gallon, but a full tank of gas does not last as long.

[00:00:52]>> So, as compared to just pure gasoline, ethanol has a lower energy content for the same amount of volume.

[00:00:58]>> Because of the Clean Energy Act of 1970, in the summer months, gas stations are normally not allowed to sell fuel with more than 10% ethanol. But because of high gas prices nationwide, the Environmental Protection Agency has allowed fuel servicers to sell gasoline with up to 15% ethanol.

[00:01:15]>> So, you're you're maybe going to look at something between two and three dollars less per fill up for E15 versus E10. And when you look at how much you lose in terms of miles per gallon, it's it's not really enough.

[00:01:26]>> And because ethanol burns differently than gasoline, higher levels of it in your fuel could be troublesome.

[00:01:31]>> When the volatile compounds in that fuel when they mix with nitrous oxides in the presence of O8, sunlight, and heat, summer, they react chemically and they form ozone.

[00:01:42]>> This leads to smog and potential risk for those who are sensitive to air quality. So, I drove around Rochester to see if any local gas stations are using E15 fuel. Of the pumps I checked, all were still dispensing E10. But as fuel servicers out west switch to E15 and the smog travels east with wind, Goldfarb says it could impact local air quality.

[00:02:05]>> I mean, how long until we would really see the effects of this, do you think?

[00:02:09]>> The truth is, we don't fully know. It could be fine.

[00:02:13]Uh if we don't have a lot of high ozone days, if we don't have a lot of heat waves, we probably won't see an impact.

[00:02:19]If we have more leak and we have more ozone forming and a lot of heat waves, this could be a problem.

[00:02:25]>> Goldfarb says her team at Cornell plans to track air quality as long as this waiver gets extended. We'll check back in with her in a couple months to learn about her findings.

[00:02:36]Reporting in Rochester, Ryan Hermanat, News 8.

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