The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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July 19, 2008

Our View: Corn debate should be just the beginning

So much of the corn-based ethanol debate has grown sour. Corn-based ethanol is now a controversial subject, at best seen only as a piece of the puzzle and at worst a culprit in rising food costs throughout the world.

A trend, and a call, has developed to return corn to the food chain and to downgrade its importance in ethanol production. At a meeting of governors last week in Philadelphia, complaints were levied against government mandates. Gov. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a coal-producing state, said, “I truly do not believe that a food-based product should be used for energy.”

That the governors don’t walk in lockstep is obvious. In April, Texas Gov. Rick Perry asked the EPA to cut in half a requirement to produce 9 billion gallons of ethanol in 2008.

Thankfully, that request hasn’t yet been acted upon. To do so would encourage a slowdown in biofuels investment nationwide at a time when we can ill afford it.

But keep talking, governors.

And keep in mind that while it’s true that corn alone isn’t the answer, it has shown itself to be an innovation and a viable pathway to something more comprehensive down the road. Let the debate continue regarding the degree to which switchgrass and wood-waste products might supplement corn.

And who better to address these crucial decisions than the governors of the states?

Leadership among the governors, who collectively represent every regional interest in the nation, can and should carry great weight in Washington. If they can help to formulate a plan that makes sense for us all, it will be more than Congress has been able to achieve until now. If such a consensus can truly be achieved, the somewhat disjointed, meandering road toward independence would take a major step toward something the nation can get its hands around.

So don’t get caught up in the corn debate, except as a starting point to an achievable end. And keep talking.

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