Rally promotes ethanol

Minge says ethanol should not be blamed for higher gas prices

By GUY PRIEL

Journal Staff Writer

WINTHROP -- Promoting ethanol as an alternative fuel source to help combat rising fuel costs, Second District Rep. David Minge held a rally at Heartland Corn Products on Monday.

"We are here today to talk about the success of ethanol," Minge said. "It is important for us to counter the negative efforts by the oil industry to demonize ethanol for the recent gasoline price spikes. This is an example of what we can do when we work together."

Part of the focus on ethanol as an alternative fuel source stems from a general concern with creating a cleaner environment that can be passed on to future generations, Minge said.

The oxygenate program was started to help reduce carbon monoxide levels in the atmosphere. Ethanol reduces those levels more than any other oxygenate, he said.

The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that ethanol-blended fuels reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 25-30 percent. It is also the only motor fuel additive that will not contribute to the greenhouse effect, Minge said.

"I am also very concerned about the long-term effects that our consumption of fossil fuels has on the environment," Minge said. "As a society, we cannot expect to consume fossil fuels at the rate we have been."

In Minge's view, there is also a balance of payment problem that needs to be addressed. America is spending $300 billion more on imports than ever before. Billions are being spent on defense to help protect existing energy resources, he said.

"We also have a problem maintaining our farm income," Minge said. "We have another bumper crop this season, but the prices at the elevators are not as great."

Ethanol is a value-added product that can help farmers succeed in the changing market. It costs less to produce than gasoline and can enhance the octane levels to increase efficiency of vehicles, he said.

"It bothers me that the oil producers blame ethanol for the increase in prices," Minge said. "It is ludicrous to blame ethanol for that hike. We need to speak the truth to the American people. Don't use farmers to explain high prices at the pumps."

The current ethanol program is referred to as the Minnesota model. Other states and some foreign nations are looking at Minnesota for examples, Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Sharon Clark said.

"The ethanol program is something we can be proud of in Minnesota," she said. "Over $300 million is paid into the state's economy by ethanol. In the 1970s the Twin Cities metro area was in violation of clean air regulations. Ethanol was developed as a solution and carbon levels have dropped."

As a result, required emissions tests have been abolished in the metro area, because of the increased usage of ethanol, she said.

"What we need to do is push for more fueling sites for E85, because it is the best alternative fuel available on the market," United States Department of Commerce Spokesperson Linda Taylor said. "It is a renewable energy source that helps make Minnesota self-sufficient."

About 17 percent of the state's supply of corn is being ground into ethanol. This exceeds profitability levels anticipated when the program first began. The next step in the process is to push for expansion of plants, diversification and promotion, Renewable Fuel Association President Bill Lee of Benson said.

"Ethanol is a simple solution to a complicated problem," he said. "Oil companies cannot make a better product. They have tried for years, and no answer has been found."

Minnesota made crossroads into the market in 1996 when the idea of 10 percent ethanol gas was provided as an alternative. At that time, it was unheard of in America, State Representative Doug Peterson, DFL-Madison said.

"It is time to stop using MTBE additives in gasoline," Peterson said. "Poison for profit makes no sense. We need to take this and run and become a model for the world. We start with a vision. We want to be energy independent in Minnesota."

There are currently about 50 stations in the state that sell E85. The next step in the process is to increase that number to 300 or more. The state also needs to push to get more flexible fuel vehicles on the market in Minnesota, State Representative Ted Winter, DFL-Fulda, said.

"Ethanol works in Minnesota," State senator Dennis Frederickson, R-New Ulm, said. "Ethanol cannot be blamed for fuel costs. Doing that is an excuse for greed."

The overall goal should be to fuel America without oil. When the program was started the goal was to reach 240 million barrels of ethanol. Now that the goal has been reached, it is time to keep building until there is an E85 pump at every gas station in Minnesota, State Representative Gary Kubley, DFL-Granite Falls, said.

"There has been a continuous effort to destroy this industry," Minge said. "We will fight this and protest. It is time to say we've had it and that's the last straw. We will not be a scapegoat for petroleum companies anymore. We need to demand fair treatment in the economy, which has been stealing from farmers for too long."