Gas station owner J.P. Forshee doesn’t think he scares any customers away with a sign that glares over the highway: “No Ethanol In Our Gas.”
He is part of a loosely defined anti-ethanol wave that continues to grow, despite claims from energy experts that the substance deserves a place in the clean energy movement.
“I have a more pure product,” said Mr. Forshee, owner of Forshee’s Chevron in Trenton, Ga. “I put my sign up because it lets the people know my gas doesn’t have it. These fishermen, people cutting timber, lawn people that cut grass — they come by, put it in their machines and tell me they’re glad I’ve got it in here.”
Ethanol is an organic compound extracted from plants. Because plant regeneration depends on sunlight — a natural energy source — ethanol is considered a renewable form of energy, unlike petroleum.
Environmental policy efforts led to ethanol becoming a small component of most vehicle fuel because its combustion properties are similar to gasoline.