Arguments and info suggesting flexibility in fuels is very important for the US. This has been know for more than a hundred years, but it will only be possible to overcome strong industrial interests if a grass roots effort, which includes your effort, is made.

1. Reasons to Support the Open Fuel Standard Act
I urge you to be aware of and support the Open Fuel Standard Act. It is fuel neutral, so the
consumer can decide among all possible fuels. But, it most likely will be a critical legislative
tool to enable us to get off oil and use our natural gas in the form of a liquid fuel, methanol.
Its most important provision stipulates that Flex Fueled Vehicles must be able to use any
mixture of gasoline, ethanol and/or methanol. This is a HUGE leap to get us off gasoline
because, for the minimal additional cost of this proposed vehicle modification, estimated to be
the order of $100 (GM states that current Flex Fueled vehicles which can use only gasoline or
up to 85% ethanol "can cost them up to $70 more", and an additional $30 may be needed), the
Act can enable Americans to run on, not only corn ethanol (and cellulosic ethanol when it
becomes commercially viable), but methanol. Methanol is made from natural gas. It can also
be made completely renewably from our organic wastes.
The problem with ethanol is that we are currently using more than one half of our corn
production to produce only 11% of the fuel we use. We won't ever produce enough ethanol to
satisfy more than 20% of our fuel needs. As you know, Americans have not flocked to ethanol
because it costs more per mile to drive on it than gasoline (it is more costly on an energy
basis).
But, methanol from natural gas is cheaper. Unlike ethanol, the production of methanol is not
dependent on whether we have a drought; it uses much less water than corn ethanol, and is
completely independent of oil supply and costs. We have an enormous amount of natural gas.
In addition, we have an enormous amount of organic wastes, which can be anaerobically
digested to biogas and then converted to methanol. We also we have methane producing
landfills, from which methanol can be made. And, methanol can be made 'locally' i.e., where
the methane gas is, so the distribution system issues that we have with ethanol are reduced.
Gasoline and the two alcohols (ethanol and methanol) mix very well together, making the
transition to more alcohol in the mixtures used very easy. Even the military can use it for their
vehicles on its bases in the US, and save the available oil for their ships and planes. (This can
provide immediate remediation of their oil dependence issues.) Henry Ford preferred to run
his cars on alcohol a century ago. The EPA, MIT and Lotus Cars have shown that vehicles
actually can run better on methanol and ethanol for a few dollars ($30 is the estimate) over the
cost increment of our current Flex Fueled vehicles.
We must not let our natural gas go to China, Japan, etc, just because we can produce much
more than we currently need for heating and electricity. We can use it here to drive our
vehicles. The Open Fuels Act will result in market forces that will keep our gas here, and stop
the hemorrhaging of US dollars for imported oil. To get off oil as our primary fuel we will
have to use our natural gas (and biogas), either in the form of CNG/LNG or in it's most easily
used form, liquid methanol. The 15 years of methanol use in California showed that we could
do this nationwide.

2. This is also an American jobs bill. It may be the most important American jobs bill that can be
conceived in the 21st century. It will also be the best way for America to gain energy price
stability and security. We can’t become energy sufficient and secure on just our own oil and
ethanol. This is a great opportunity to do something historically significant about our critical
transportation energy future. Please vote to give us the freedom to do this.
This is too important to ignore.
Sincerely,
Robert Falco, PhD
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Director, Institute for Energy Resourcefulness
P.S. Congressman Shimkus and a number of others in the House, and Senators Cantwell and
Lugar have sponsored H.R. 1687 and S. 1603, the Open Fuels Standard Act of 2011. This is a
diverse coalition of industry, national security and transportation interests.