President Bush said in Council Bluffs last night he strongly supports the continued use of corn-based ethanol, which is just what Congressman Tom Latham was hoping to hear from the chief executive. Latham, a republican from Alexander, says President Bush didn’t specify whether California would get a waiver, enabling that highly populated state to continue using the oil-based fuel additive M-T-B-E, a chief competitor to ethanol. Latham thinks Bush is on Iowa’s side on the issue. That additive was found responsible for polluting California’s water supply. Latham says Bush was soundly assured, Iowa -would- be able to comply and replace M-T-B-E with ethanol as needed, even to supply a state like California. Ethanol production generates more than one-point-seven billion dollars in economic activity in Iowa and adds 730-million dollars in value to the state’s corn crop.
