05/13/08 Ethanol Support Part 2

Ethanol Support Part 2. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Toni Nuernberg, president of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, is confused by all the negative press recently over ethanol. What is confusing is that we as a nation have been using ethanol for quite a number of years to offset our dependency on foreign oil. It, meaning ethanol, is the reason that fuel prices aren't higher than they are. But there are many areas where it is hard to find. NUERNBERG: Corn based ethanol is what is here today. It is accessible in certain parts of the country perhaps not as much as others and that is based a lot on infrastructures and we need support from retailers. We need the support of quite honestly the consumer to be going into the stations where they purchase fuel and ask; why do you not have E85. I know a lot of consumers are confused about whether or not your car or truck can even run on an ethanol based fuel. Most will run just fine but you should check your manufacturers warranty to keep from voiding it. The word ethanol is being used a lot these days as a trump card in the upcoming political elections and not always in a positive manner. That is something else that confuses Nuernberg. NUERNBERG: I just can't believe any political candidate would continue to say that we need to increase our dependency on oil. I just think that has such negative ramifications with the American public not only from an economic and environmental standpoint but again also a national security standpoint. Every time you turn around today you hear someone talking about the food versus fuel debate. NUERNBERG: You know it's so important if we can keep reinforcing that it isn't an issue of food or fuel, it's really an issue of food and fuel. And this industry has proven that time and time again and continues to prove it as it moves forward with new technologies; with the cellulosic development. Every day there are new technologies being introduced to further increase the use of corn products. NUERNBERG: Plants like Lifeline Foods in St. Jo where they are taking the corn and defrationating it. They're basically taking all the parts of the corn and they are actually creating food product from it and then using what's left from the food product in ethanol and then at the end of the ethanol, there's the DDG's. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.