By Brian Gray
bgray@themonroetimes.com
MONROE - With oil continuing to leak in the Gulf of Mexico, and $4 gas prices still fresh in the minds of motorists, ethanol producers want people to know there's an alternative to oil.
At a press conference Tuesday at Badger State Ethanol, company president Gary Kramer said ethanol, which is produced using corn, is an alternative to oil as a fuel source and a way to prevent disasters similar to the oil spill in the Gulf. Kramer said people can see the need for alternative energy every time they turn on the television and see stories about the massive oil leak, which has resulted in thousands of gallons of oil gushing into the Gulf since April.
"Every oil-sodden animal and oil-coated beach we see on the nightly news is another painful reminder of the true costs of our addiction to oil," he said. "We send billions of dollars overseas to countries that are hostile to the United States because of our addiction to oil."
Badger State Ethanol is one of nine ethanol plants in Wisconsin. It opened in 2002.
Kramer, along with Jason Rae of the Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance and Bob Oleson of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, held the press conference to encourage Congress to pass an energy bill to help ethanol be part of America's energy future.
The groups want Congress to pass a bill that would require all cars sold in the United States to be "flex-fuel" vehicles that can use a blend of ethanol and gasoline; support alternative fuel pumps at gas stations; and to ensure construction of ethanol pipelines to move the fuel quickly and cost-effectively across the country.
Oleson said ethanol is a renewable energy source that can help provide economic benefits to families, either through growing corn or by helping people save money at the pumps. It would also help create jobs for people, he said.
"No job has ever been sent overseas because of ethanol," Oleson said. "No war has ever been fought to protect it and no ecosystem has ever been destroyed because of it."'
American farmers can harvest enough corn for ethanol and for human consumption, he said. In 2010, an estimated 4.4 billion bushels of corn will be used for ethanol, Oleson said. Another 14 billion bushels will be used for other things, such as food for people and animals, according to Oleson.
Kramer said ethanol is one piece of the puzzle. He said ethanol producers want consumers to have choices.
"Ethanol production has become cleaner and more efficient at a time when oil production continues to become dirtier and more difficult to extract, Rae said.
bgray@themonroetimes.com
MONROE - With oil continuing to leak in the Gulf of Mexico, and $4 gas prices still fresh in the minds of motorists, ethanol producers want people to know there's an alternative to oil.
At a press conference Tuesday at Badger State Ethanol, company president Gary Kramer said ethanol, which is produced using corn, is an alternative to oil as a fuel source and a way to prevent disasters similar to the oil spill in the Gulf. Kramer said people can see the need for alternative energy every time they turn on the television and see stories about the massive oil leak, which has resulted in thousands of gallons of oil gushing into the Gulf since April.
"Every oil-sodden animal and oil-coated beach we see on the nightly news is another painful reminder of the true costs of our addiction to oil," he said. "We send billions of dollars overseas to countries that are hostile to the United States because of our addiction to oil."
Badger State Ethanol is one of nine ethanol plants in Wisconsin. It opened in 2002.
Kramer, along with Jason Rae of the Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance and Bob Oleson of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, held the press conference to encourage Congress to pass an energy bill to help ethanol be part of America's energy future.
The groups want Congress to pass a bill that would require all cars sold in the United States to be "flex-fuel" vehicles that can use a blend of ethanol and gasoline; support alternative fuel pumps at gas stations; and to ensure construction of ethanol pipelines to move the fuel quickly and cost-effectively across the country.
Oleson said ethanol is a renewable energy source that can help provide economic benefits to families, either through growing corn or by helping people save money at the pumps. It would also help create jobs for people, he said.
"No job has ever been sent overseas because of ethanol," Oleson said. "No war has ever been fought to protect it and no ecosystem has ever been destroyed because of it."'
American farmers can harvest enough corn for ethanol and for human consumption, he said. In 2010, an estimated 4.4 billion bushels of corn will be used for ethanol, Oleson said. Another 14 billion bushels will be used for other things, such as food for people and animals, according to Oleson.
Kramer said ethanol is one piece of the puzzle. He said ethanol producers want consumers to have choices.
"Ethanol production has become cleaner and more efficient at a time when oil production continues to become dirtier and more difficult to extract, Rae said.