Republican Governor of Texas Rebuffs Bush on Corn-Based Ethanol. Editorial, HoustonChron, April 29, 2008. "Texas Gov. Rick Perry bit the bullet this week, calling for the EPA to reduce ethanol requirements by half for at least a year. He was hailed by such groups as the National Chicken Council and the [CEOs] of... Pilgrim's Pride and Tyson. His proposal was attacked by the American Farm Bureau and National Corn Growers Association. U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas welcomed Perry's stand, while U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, criticized it for undermining the fight against air pollution. Perry's choice of sides is political: Unlike the Midwest bastion of corn farming and ethanol production, beef and chicken producers and the consumers of their products have a larger voice in Texas. In this case, Perry chose correctly. Diverting foodstuffs such as corn to make gasoline is pinning the public in an untenable position between soaring costs at the gas pump and the grocery store. Environmental writer Bill McKibben told the Chronicle editorial board Monday that, 'Corn ethanol is going to prove to be one of those historically bad ideas that we're still writing about 50 years from now -- a perfect example of why legislators may not be the best people to choose technologies'... In retrospect, it was folly to divert large quantities of a grain that feeds people and livestock and not anticipate rising prices and adverse effects throughout the economy, both at home and abroad."
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