EthanolE10 -- a gasoline mix that contains 10 percent ethanol -- has quietly appeared at many gas stations in the Capital District, according to the Schenectady Daily Gazette

Part of the reason is that Albany, with easy access to corn-growing regions, has become a large shipping point for the fuel to New York City and beyond.

New York Association of Convenience Stores President James Calvin told the Daily Gazette that selling E10 is becoming more popular among his member stores. “There is growing interest among ethanol blends among motor fuel retailers, but that is gradual rather than meteoric,” Calvin said. “I think there is increasing supply of ethanol, again gradual, and increasing interest on the part of the consumer.”

While the use of ethanol reduces dependence on foreign sources of oil, corn-based ethanol poses an environmental dilemma. Corn crops absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but there are significant fears about fertilizers leading to an increase in dead zones in the waterways they pollute.