November 11, 1999

Presidential hopefuls address
ethanol issue in Iowa

By Nick Hillyard
CyberCaucus 2000 News Service
Drake University

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Ethanol mandates made headlines in Iowa this September when Iowa Agricultural Secretary Patty Judge inquired to see if she had the power to order only ethanol-blended gasoline be sold in Iowa after Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley said she did.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said she didn't.

More than 1 billion gallons of ethanol are mixed with gasoline in the United States each year. Because the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it allows engines to more completely combust the fuel - resulting in fewer emissions. Ethanol is made from corn, making it a renewable resource unlike gasoline.

As the Iowa caucuses draw near, people with agricultural interests across the state are looking for the candidates' stance on ethanol subsidies.

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is too scared to set foot in the state, because he'll be blasted by the farm groups, said Dave Brasher, director for the National Federation of Independent Business in Iowa.

McCain has a long-standing opposition to subsidies for ethanol. McCain has said on his Web site he hopes Iowans agree that ethanol subsidies are not good for America.

Fellow Republican candidate Gov. George W. Bush supports the ethanol tax benefit. "Ethanol helps our farmers and makes our air cleaner," Bush told an audience in Dallas Center, Iowa, this September, as recorded by the Cedar Rapids Gazette Web site.

Bush said the government needs to accelerate research for innovative uses for farm products. As president he would encourage the development of new technologies for cost-effective production of ethanol, Bush said. Since the start of his campaign in Iowa, Bush has acted very supportive of Iowa agriculture.

Vice President Al Gore and former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley, the two leading Democratic candidates, also have said they support ethanol.

In August, President Clinton signed an executive order, supported by Gore, on a bioenergy initiative that would accelerate biobased technologies to convert biomass into fuels and materials. On the White House Web site Clinton said meeting this goal would create $15 billion to $20 billion in new income for farmers and rural America. It would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 100 million tons, the equivalent of taking 70 million cars off the road, Clinton said.

The American Coalition for Ethanol is skeptical of Bradley's support. Bradley voted against the ethanol tax subsidy as a senator, said Trevor Guthmiller, ACE's executive director, in an e-mail response to questions.

Bradley defended his voting record, saying the subsidy would have raised gasoline prices for his constituents in New Jersey. According to his Web page he now endorses ethanol subsidies because of his new constituency as a presidential hopeful.

Grassley said in a press release, "Ethanol is good for farmers and jobs in rural America. It's good for the environment. And, in terms of our fight against dependence on foreign energy, the ethanol tax incentive is a bargain ... Rather than see ethanol mandated, we could end up with a mandate for our kids to lose life or limb defending foreign sources of oil."

ACE stresses the importance of the ethanol industry and lists the following information on its web site, www.ethanol.org.