Biofuel Project Runs Out of Gas

There's continued excitement 'mongst the automakers and farm state folks over E85, a fuel that blends 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline as an alternative technology. (Much cheaper than developing new engines, because this fuel requires little modification of existing cars.)

Advocates say it's cleaner and, at about $1.79 a gallon, much cheaper than regular gasoline. And it's made from plants in the U.S.A., not the Middle East. Remember the famous "switch grass" suggestion in President Bush 's State of the Union address?

So the liberal Center for American Progress and the Natural Resources Defense Council using a Ford Motor Co.-loaned Taurus sedan had a project to prove that you could drive a biofuel car all the way from here to Los Angeles without stopping to buy gas.

Turns out, you can't. The hardy band was forced to stop in Wyoming because they had exhausted their fuel supply. They drove to a gas station to refuel and fill their reserve supply, a trunkful of five-gallon gas cans. (Unclear whether this is a practice recommended by auto-safety experts.)

That stop in Wyoming, say some enviros, is cause for skepticism about this whole venture. Of the country's 176,000 gasoline stations, only 600 carry E85. But the E85 cars can also use regular gas. That's why manufacturers like E85, skeptical enviros say: They can produce these biofuel cars along with the gas-guzzling behemoths and still meet their mandatory fuel-efficiency standards -- even if the E85 vehicles end up not using biofuels.

Unless something -- like maybe a presidential executive order or a law requiring the federal fleet of 60,000 new vehicles a year to use E85 -- that situation is not going to change, some skeptics argue.

Proponents say you have to start somewhere. "Look, there has to be an alternative to oil," Center for American Progress spokeswoman Jennifer M. Palmieri said. "People can argue over the best alternative, but this is a good one."

There are three public biofuel pumps within 25 miles of downtown Washington, so please be patient.

Rest and Resolution

There was much chatter last week about how British Prime Minister Tony Blair was forced on Friday to delay a vacation to Barbados to work on a U.N. Security Council resolution for Lebanon. Blair had faced criticism from the media and members of his Labor Party for planning a little R&R as fighting rages between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas, Reuters reported.

Some compared this to President Bush 's decision to go to his ranch in Crawford, Tex.

But there is no comparison. Blair was going to slather up on the beach and snorkel with the turtles. Bush was going to work clearing that brush.

U.S. Fish and (Blocked) Service

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service folks can forget about online gambling or learning about cultivating weed or watching porn at work. There's a new computer filter that will "block inappropriate use of the Internet," acting deputy director Kenneth B. Stansell writes in a recent memo.

Yes, indeed, it's time to focus on fish and furry creatures. "What types of websites will be blocked?" the memo asks. Plenty of your favorites, is the answer. Sites with "nude or semi-nude human forms" or ones "that describe sexual acts or activity," as well as those focused on "sex-oriented businesses such as clubs, nightclubs and escort services."

And no more Victoria's Secret. "Lingerie & swimsuit sites offering views of models in suggestive but not lewd costume" will be blocked. "Suggestive?"

In a blow to employees wanting to supplement their incomes, the filter will block "sites that provide information about . . . the cultivation, preparation, or use of marijuana" or "online gambling" and even "online games." Bridge players will have to bring their own cards.

The filter will also block sites that "provide instruction in or promote crime or unethical or dishonest behavior or evasion of prosecution thereof" as well as racist sites and those "sponsored by groups advocating anti-government beliefs or action."

EBay? Gone! "Personals dating"? Gone!

From now on, stick to sites focusing on fish and furry creatures -- unless they engage in "offensive, grotesque, frightening or lurid" activities.