Ethanol Backlash - VIDEO ENHANCED

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more about "Making Ethanol Work" click the PLAY button at the bottom of this page to watch an informative video.

Washington DC - March 23, 2007: The AIADA newsletter reported that Ethanol has had a reputation for being good for farmers, the environment, and rural economies.

The corn-based fuel, which already receives a 51-cents-a-gallon federal subsidy, figures prominently in President Bush's goal of reducing gasoline consumption by 20% over 10 years. But as the rush to build ethanol plants continues in the U.S. - there are 114 in operation, 80 under construction and many more in planning stages - clashes with locals are multiplying.

According to the Wall Street Journal, opponents complain that ethanol plants deplete aquifers, draw heavy truck traffic, pose safety concerns, contribute to air pollution, and produce a sickly-sweet smell akin to that of a barroom floor.

Industry officials concede that ethanol plants have had problems with smell and toxic emissions in the past, but say new technology has largely remedied that.

"Generally, communities look at these plants as local economic engines," says Robert Dineen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, a Washington trade group. The plants bring jobs and have dramatically raised corn prices and farmland values. Click here to read about the ethanol battle that took place in Cambria, Wisconsin.