This article in the Billings (MT) Gazette offers a refreshingly positive look at ethanol compared to many stories in the mainstream media this week. While acknowledging some of the concerns, such as negative publicity regarding the fuel’s energy balance and the lack of flex-fuel vehicles and E85 pumps, it notes that ethanol in Montana is being priced right.

Sherrie Allyn, manager of the Quealy Sinclair gas station in Laramie, said E85 was selling at $1.89 per gallon Friday, compared with $2.59 for regular unleaded. That’s a 27 percent savings, which more than makes up for a nearly 10 percent loss in fuel efficiency that new flex-fuel vehicles will have while running E85 instead of gas. “It seems to be picking up. More and more people are using it,” said Allyn, whose station is one of only three in the state selling E85.

The article also points out that the availability of flex-fuel cars and E85 pumps is increasing dramaticially and new technologies on the horizon offer even more-efficient methods for producing ethanol.