Higher ethanol blend could boost economy

MCCOOK, Neb. — The price of gasoline is creeping up again, hitting an average of $2.14 a gallon nation wide.

If a recovering economy boosts demand, can $4 gasoline be far behind?

But rather than wait for the situation to change, there’s something we can do now.

Dennis Gengenbach of Smithfield, Neb., a member of the Nebraska Corn Board, is asking the public to support an increase in ethanol blend from 10 percent to 15 percent for conventional vehicles.

By increasing the blend to 15 percent, the United States can add 130,000 jobs and displace some seven billion gallons of gasoline — much of it made with foreign oil.

Ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions, enhances rural communities, adds jobs and generates tax revenue for our counties and state, all while reducing the cost of fuel to consumers and reducing our dependence on foreign oil, Gengenbach says.

Nebraska’s 26,000 corn farmers add $1.4 billion to the state’s economy each year with the fuel, fertilizer and seed they purchase to put their corn crop in the ground.

“But if we don’t expand our opportunities for ethanol, then we run the risk of losing that industry and important market,” he says.

Making our voice heard by writing or logging on to the EPA Web site is a way we can make a difference.

source: agweek