Creators Syndicate

FIGHT BACK! BY DAVID HOROWITZ 

The Cost of Cleaner Gasoline 

        Gasoline prices usually drop in winter. But this year, the
price of a tank of gas is  going up in many of the country's smoggiest
urban areas. That's because Federal law  requirs retailers in those
areas to sell a cleaner-burning, and more expensive,  gasoline in place
of conventional unleaded. It will also replace the oxygenated  gasoline
sold in some cold weather areas in winter. 
        The Clean Air Act of 1990 made the new fuel blend, known as
Reformulated  Gasoline (RFG), mandatory in 10 cities beginning Jan. 1
of this year. Several states  and dozens of individual cities and
counties have also joined voluntarily in an effort to  meet clean air
standards. And, though some of the recent volunteers are threatening to
drop out of the program, RFG will account for about a third of all
gasoline sold  nationwide this year. 
        Reformulated gasoline is a blend of conventional gasoline and
oxygenated  ethanol that reduces carbon monoxide and other harmful
emissions by at least 15  percent. Its use is expected to have the same
impact on air quality as taking 8 million  cars off the road. 
        RFG costs about 5 cents more per gallon to produce. Refiners
will probably  pass that increase along to their retailers, along with
at least some of the $14 billion oil  companies say they spent to
develop the cleaner-burning fuel. There's also a hidden  cost to
drivers, since RFG cuts gas mileage by about 3 percent. 
        But refiners have apparently decided not to recoup all their
costs at once. Pump  prices in most areas have either held at their
summer rates or gone up only a couple of  cents. Retail prices may
eventually go up 5 cents to 8 cents per gallon. But government 
officials say there's no reason to believe that gas prices will go up
as much as 20 cents  a gallon, as some drivers fear. 
        While RFG is supposed to clean up the air outside, auto makers
are working on  improving air quality inside the car. This year, Ford
is offering an electrostatic air  cleaner as standard equipment on its
new Contour and Mercury Mystique sedans.  Ford's MicronAir filter is
built into the cars' heating and air-conditioning system. It uses 
three layers of woven filtering material and an electric charge to trap
pollen and dust  particles as small as three microns. Such filters have
been available from European  manufacturers for several years, but Ford
is the first American car builder to offer this  feature. 
        Chrysler's new compact sedan, the Cirrus, is the first
U.S.-built car in modern  times to come without an ashtray. Surveys
showed that only 17 percent of American  drivers are smokers and that
80 percent of car owners consider an ashtray a waste of  space on the
dashboard. 
        The Cirrus still has a cigarette lighter socket, but it's
intended for plugging in  electrical accessories like a cellular phone,
CD player, radar detector and the like. The  socket is covered with a
plastic cap when not in use. 
        Chrysler hasn't forsaken smokers entirely. Buyers can get a
special "smoker's  package" with the Cirrus, which consists of an
ashtray that fits into one of the cup  holders on the console and a
cigarette lighter for the electrical socket. 
        If you have any questions or comments, please write to David
Horowitz in the  Consumer Forum+ (go FIGHTBACK). COPYRIGHT 1995
CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.