Restoring America

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Bring back methanol and make engines great again

By Robert E. Norton II

Published August 5, 2025 6:00am ET

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Bring back methanol and make engines great again — Cars release exhaust fumes as children head to school in Frankfurt, Germany, Feb. 27, 2023. European Union member countries have watered down a proposal by the bloc's executive arm aimed at lowering vehicle emissions. The European Commission had proposed last year updated pollution standards for new combustion engine vehicles that are expected to remain on European roads well after the 27-nation bloc bans their sale in 2035, with the aim of lowering emissions from tailpipes, brakes and tires. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

America has an alcohol problem, and it’s not what you think.

It’s time to save the internal combustion engine by expanding beyond the single form we currently use for fuel. In sync with President Donald Trump’s efforts to boost U.S. auto production, it is time to embrace methanol, not ethanol, as a car fuel alternative for the future.

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