Ethanol fallout

Three ethanol plants are planned along Nash Road between Cape Girardeau and Scott City. At a recent meeting of the Small Business Compliance Advisory Committee, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources said each of the plants will be allowed to discharge up to 300 tons of air pollutants, including hazardous pollutants known to cause cancer. By comparison, the DNR said, the limits on hazardous pollutants are 15 to 27 times higher than similar air discharges by two existing plants, Buzzi Unicem and BioKyowa.

It is difficult for a layperson to determine what the air-pollution limits mean. And state officials say they don't know if the plants will actually discharge that level of pollutants. But only a few vocal individuals have expressed any concern about the prospect of having ethanol plants as neighbors.

It would be good to have some assurances from the plants' owners that the area will not be negatively affected by air pollutants. The wind is generally from the south during the warm months and from the north during the cold months. That means Cape Girardeau would get most of the pollutants during the summer, and Scott City would be affected during the winter.

In addition, it would be good if the plants' owners could be as forthcoming as possible about what they would do if their plants exceed the air-pollution limits set by the state or if problems with noxious odors develops.