04/25/05 Energy bill back; Chapter 12 in place

Once again, the ball known as the Energy Bill will be in the Senate's court after the House again passed the measure. The 2005 version is almost identical to last year's measure which passed the House but became bogged down in the Senate. And that includes the major sticking point for the Senate in recent years, protections from lawsuits against makers of gasoline additive m.t.b.e.. But unlike previous years, the House version of the Energy Bill does contain provisions to expand oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. As for a Northwest connection, the bill does call for increased production, and incentives for production, of ethanol and biobased fuels. And Representative Doc Hastings of Washington says Northwest power ratepayers could also see some cost savings in another way. HASTINGS: By that I mean the help that our dams get in the relicensing process. It kinds of speeds it up, which therefore will save the ratepayers some money. You may know by now that President Bush has signed into law a bill that reforms the Federal Bankruptcy Act. Most of the press coverage has been on how the new law will make it more difficult to file Chapter Seven bankruptcy. But for farmers and ranchers, there is some good news pertaining to the law. Chapter Twelve of the bankruptcy code, specifically designed for financially distressed farmers and ranchers, is now permanent. Chapter 12 was the only part of the bankruptcy code not permanent. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. ALLEN: It really irks me that with gas prices skyrocketing I don't see our nation doing much to make the move towards alternative fuels. While we continue to pander to politics, we are being left in the dust by countries like Brazil, who are rapidly working to reduce their dependency on foreign oil. Brazil, already a force in agriculture just completed its first refinery for biodiesel fuel scheduled to produce nearly 3 and one half million gallons of biodiesel each year. Soy, castor beans and sunflower, crops we produce in the U.S. as well are being used in the processing. Innovative programs in Brazil like the flex-fuel initiative have been in place for a couple of years so converting isn't a major issue as many of their automobiles run on a mix that already includes a 22% blend of sugar cane and ethanol. It is reported that Brazil is promoting biodiesel not only for it's benefits to the environment and the economy but also for i's ability to empower the small farmer. Too bad the US doesn't share this vision. I'm Susan Allen and this is Food Forethought.