Well, better late than never. The NYTimes today discovers that ethanol is wreaking havoc on the nation’s refineries. Ethanol, the paper reports on Page A1, is “a surprising culprit” for higher gas prices.

Not surprising to readers of this blog, but the MSM has been engaged in a massive propaganda campaign touting ethanol fuel. From Time magazine to Newsweek to News Radio 950-WWJ (CBS affiliate) in Detroit, the press has been drunk on ethanol to the detriment of responsible news reporting. Not only is ethanol whipsawing the supply chain, it’s high-energy refining process and energy inefficiency as a fuel means its widespread use would almost certainly increase CO2 emissions.

Courtesy of Ronald Bailey, Reason’s excellent science writer, here’s a few more ethanol points to save the Times from more surprises:

“. . . the federal ethanol mandate adds substantially to gasoline prices. Ethanol costs more per gallon than gasoline; it contains less energy per volume so a blend of 90 percent gas and 10 percent ethanol delivers 3 percent fewer miles per gallon; and ethanol has a higher vapor pressure which makes it even more expensive for refiners to meet EPA summertime vapor pressure maximums. The ethanol mandate also adds to costs for blending gasoline because companies now have to manage different two fuel supply chains. . . . When California adopted its ethanol mandate, it boosted prices by 10 cents per gallon.”