01/12/07 Low Carbon Fuel & Immigration Help

Low Carbon Fuel & Immigration help. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Some are quick to say that with a stroke of his pen California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has turned carbon into a crop. The Governor has signed an Executive Order creating the world's first Low Carbon Fuel Standard  a move officials say will reduce motor vehicle emissions in California by at least 10 percent by the year 20-20. Also - they say it will more than triple the size of the state's renewable-fuels market and potentially place more than 7-million alternative fuel or hybrid cars on the state's roads. This new standard is good news for California Agriculture interests. Some are saying it could increase demand for ethanol to 5-billion gallons by 2020. A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators claim they have the votes necessary to pass "stand-alone" legislation allowing more than 1.5- million foreign agricultural workers into the United States over the next five years. The legislation also would create a pilot program to legalize illegal immigrants who have been working in agriculture during the past two years. But Washington Congressman Doc Hastings isn't sure any legislation passed will help this year's crops. HASTINGS: Now here's today's Washington Grange Report. (GRANGE) That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.