Jan 03 - Daily Reporter (Milwaukee)

Fuel pumped into vehicles across the country will have a home- grown flavor in 2006.

Just as the year drew to a close, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued new standards Wednesday under the authorization of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The new regulations signify the first step in EPA's Renewable Fuels Standard Program, designed to reduce vehicle emissions and strengthen U.S. energy security by doubling the use of fuels produced from American crops by 2012.

The policy's default position requires that 2.78 percent of the gasoline sold or dispensed to U.S. motorists in 2006 be some form of renewable fuel, such as ethanol or biodiesel.

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson applauded President George W. Bush's support of renewable domestic fuels in a statement Wednesday.

This investment in renewable fuels made from domestic crops will support American agriculture and replace fossil fuels with an increasing amount of cleaner-burning alternatives such as ethanol or biodiesel, illustrating that environmental progress and economic development can, in fact, go hand-in-hand, he said.

And the results for Wisconsin could be tremendous.

Joshua Morby of the Wisconsin Ethanol Coalition applauded the implementation of the new standards and noted that Wisconsin had a leg up on the rest of the country due to Gov. Jim Doyle's Task Force on Energy Efficiency and Renewables and his vow to sign legislation that comes to his desk in support of ethanol use.

AB 15 passed the Assembly on Dec. 15, he said. It's encouraging to see the top environmentalists across the country getting behind this kind of legislation, and it's something that really highlights the bipartisan nature of ethanol use, whether it's a Republican governor like Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, a Democratic governor like Jim Doyle here or a Republican president like George W. Bush.

Minnesota's law

Morby said that Minnesota passed legislation 10 years ago requiring 10 percent ethanol to be put in gasoline, and now the ethanol production plants have become significant players in the state's economy. Figuring that ethanol can come from pulp, sugar cane and switch grass, as well as corn, he said the economic benefits for Wisconsin should be substantial.

Wisconsin could really become the Saudi Arabia of the Midwest, he said. This is where you'll see us become a net exporter and see a number of economic benefits. In addition to helping reduce dependency on foreign oil, ethanol produced from corn grown in Wisconsin will lower the price of gasoline, and ethanol plants in the state will be able to use corn grown locally.

He also pointed out how a multitude of uses can be provided from just one kernel of corn and that the state is already taking advantage of them.

People should realize that ethanol does not use the entire kernel of corn, he said. Carbon dioxide produced as byproduct of the ethanol process is sold to Miller Brewing Company to help brew Leinenkugel's beers, oil produced from the germ of a kernel is used to produce nonfatty oils, and the stiller's grain is used for feedstock.

Another benefit of implementing ethanol use is the improved air quality, which Brett Hulsey, president of Better Environmental Solutions, pointed out in a statement Wednesday.

It's encouraging to see environmental organizations like the EPA, the Environmental Law and Policy Center and RENEW step forward and acknowledge the role ethanol plays in protecting our air and reducing dangerous pollutants in Wisconsin, he said. -By Paul Snyder