EMERSON PLEASED BY DECISION TO WAIVE RULES ABOUT ETHANOL

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson is praising a decision by President George Bush to waive the Clean Air Act restrictions on the use of ethanol.

Emerson, who has worked with other corn-belt state lawmakers in urging the administration for eight months to issue the waiver, was on hand at the White House Thursday when Bush made the announcement.

"This announcement is a great economic boost to rural America. This waiver allows ethanol to participate within the guidelines of the Clean Air Act, as it should have all along," explained Emerson. "That means a bigger market for corn growers, and it increases the chances for future development of ethanol plants in rural areas.

"The decision has many positive ripple affects all along main street - most of all it means jobs and growth."

The plan allows for the increased use of ethanol-blended fuels in cooler, northern cities, while some restrictions remain in place in hotter, southern cities due to ethanol's evaporation rate in the heat.

To help offset the costs of ethanol blending, the president has included tax credits in his plan.

Emerson said the Environmental Protection Agency had overstepped its bounds and has now been put in its place.

"I am proud to have worked on this successful effort for our nation's corn farmers and ethanol producers," said the congressman.

"The ethanol waiver boils down to the future success of families and jobs in southern Missouri and rural America over a regulation-prone EPA."