04/27/06 Idaho`s ethanol production

Idaho farmers know what kind of fuel bill they'll be facing this year with rapidly escalating gasoline and diesel prices. President Bush admits there's not much that can be done short term but he does want to free the country from its dependence on foreign oil. BUSH "I set a goal to replace oil from around the world. The best way and the fastest way to do so is to expand the use of ethanol." Today Idaho is an ethanol wasteland. There is no production in the state but that should change next year. Wyoming Ethanol President Jim Glancey says his company is still planning to build a facility on the old Simplot property near Burley but they've dropped plans to use whey as the feedstock. GLANCEY "We'll redesign everything to use corn, or small grain, but right now corn and then increase the capacity of that plant up to about a 15 million gallon a year capacity." Glancey says if critics of ethanol say it isn't the answer they need to look at Brazil. GLANCEY "Brazil is now totally independent of OPEC and the oil industry because they developed the ethanol that happened to be their source and they happen to be using sugar cane as their feedstock for their plants." Tomorrow there's more about corn and a dairy tie in to all of this. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott