Congressmen sponsor ethanol bill

Congressmen Greg Ganske, Jim Leach and Leonard Boswell are co-sponsors of a bill which would ban a “big oil” competitor of corn-based ethanol. The legislation would ban M-T-B-E within three years. Ganske says M-T-B-E has contaminated water.Both M-T-B-E and ethanol are added to gasoline to reduce harmful emissions.Ganske says the bill would let fuel refineries mix different levels of ethanol in gasoline bound for California, based on what time of year it is.Ganske says the bill will NOT let California and other states get out of the Clean Air Act requirements which would be a boon to ethanol if M-T-B-E is banned.In prepared statements, Leach called the bill “common-sense environmentalism” and Boswell said “M-T-B-E represents a great risk to our environment as well as a tremendous impediment to the future of ethanol.” U-S-D-A officials estimate corn prices would go up 14-cents per bushel if M-T-B-E is banned and ethanol is used as its substitute.