Democrats push ethanol growth

House Democrats said yesterday that the answer to the fuel crisis is growing in the fields of rural America, and they introduced bills to expand production of ethanol.

“We can grow new energy here at home from American farms to American families,” said Rep. Stephanie Herseth, South Dakota Democrat.

Democrats on the Rural Working Group introduced bills that call for doubling the percentage of renewable fuels, such as ethanol, sold in the U.S. by 2012 and increasing the percentage of so-called “flex-fuel” cars capable of running partly on ethanol.

The legislation would require that 75 percent of all U.S. cars be flex-fuel models by 2013. Flex-fuel cars would cost the same as regular cars, the Democrats said.

Washington Times