Ethanol is the answer
Ethanol is the answer
Schmidt addresses Ripley crowd
By WADE LINVILLE
Associate Editor
RIPLEY - Ethanol production and how it can benefit American farmers was one of the main topics of discussion during Congresswoman Jean Schmidt's visit to Ripley, Wednesday, Aug. 2.
Schmidt's visit drew approximately 20 people to Ripley's Administration Building for what she referred to as "Coffee and Conversation".
With the November election quickly approaching, Schmidt has allocated much of her spare time to visiting villages throughout the Second Congressional District of Ohio in order to address public concerns and to inform the public on issues at the federal level.
With fuel costs reaching record highs, Schmidt felt that ethanol could soon emerge as the leading candidate to replace gasoline as the prime choice for motorists.
According to Schmidt, increased production of ethanol could create income for farmers of southern Ohio that have taken serious financial hits over the past several years, the most recent hit due to the recent tobacco buy-out.
Although motorists may not get as good of gas mileage on ethanol as they do on unleaded gasoline, the use of ethanol could help to keep U.S. dollars in the hands of Americans as ethanol can be produced in the U.S., according to Schmidt.
"I think it (ethanol) is an excellent alternative to gasoline," said Schmidt. "We're hoping to get more ethanol in Ohio."
Schmidt said she didn't feel that a major transition to the use of ethanol would create a huge expense for U.S. citizens, as car manufacturers are producing more and more Flexible Fuel Vehicles, which are the only vehicles that can run on E85.
According to Schmidt, some retailers are pricing E85, a mixture of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol, at nearly $1 less per gallon than gasoline.
"E85 presents a positive opportunity for our economy and for the American farmer," said Schmidt.
Schmidt said plans to construct an ethanol manufacturing plant in the district are still underway. "Anything you can do for local farmers would be great," said one Ripley resident.
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