ARGUMENT CLOUDS GASOHOL ISSUE

Gasohol -- produced by blending 90% gasoline with 10% ethyl alcohol or ethanol -- is easily the most controversial fuel on today's very controversial U. S. energy scene. U. S. car drivers use about 210 million gallons of gasoline each day. But the country produces only some 230,000 gallons of ethanol a day, or slightly more than one 1/1000 of the gasoline burned. To reduce the daily consumption of gasoline by 10%, or 18.9 million gallons, it would be necessary to make almost a 100-fold increase in ethanol production. Production problems aside, gasohol might mean decreased fuel economy, increased emissions and higher costs. On the other hand, it could make a small but significant contribution to the automotive fuel supply. Another problem with mixing the two fuels is the so-called phase in which gasoline and alcohol separate in the fuel tank. There is some controversy over whether the problem is significant or trivial, but the separation can create inadequate burning.