NuStar Energy fire: What is ethanol anyway?

Wednesday, October 16, 2019
CROCKETT, Calif. (KGO) -- The fire at the NuStar Energy facility in Crockett on Tuesday burned thousands of gallons of the fuel additive called ethanol.

Ethanol is a type of alcohol produced from grains like corn and soybeans.
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It burns cleaner than regular gasoline and produces less pollution.

RELATED: ATF serves search warrant at NuStar energy facility

The fuel in your car is normally 90 percent petroleum and ten percent ethanol.
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Dr. Severin Borenstein at UC Berkeley's Energy Institute says California burns through about four million gallons of ethanol per day, so losing even several hundred thousand gallons shouldn't have a big impact on gas prices.

However, that could change if the entire storage facility has to be shut down for a week or more.

See more stories and videos about the NuStar Energy fire here.
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