Legislative Panel Hears Testimony on Ethanol Proposal

Debate on legislative measures to require Missouri have a 10 percent ethanol requirement in nearly every gallon of gasoline sold in the state gets its day before the House Agriculture Policy Committee. Ron Leone with the Missouri Petroleum Marketers Association says he’s a supporter of the idea, but offers several arguments that make him sound like an opponent. He says ethanol has been artificially buoyed by tax dollars. But Terry Hilgedick with the Missouri Corn Growers, a group that backs the ethanol mandate, points out Big Oil gets a much bigger subsidy. Opponents also argue there’s not enough ethanol supply in Missouri right now to fuel the mandate. Proponents say that will soon be rectified, and we can buy ethanol from friendly Midwestern neighbors instead of oil from possibly unfriendly Middle Easterners.