September 28, 2000

The House has approved the conference report on appropriations for energy and water projects, protecting a prohibition on a federal plan for special spring flooding of the Missouri River and including $18 million for bio-energy research. The Senate could act on the final version early next week.

Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO) has made the flood issue a battleground with the White House where President Clinton could veto the entire bill because of the Missouri River provision. The federal government wants a controlled spring flood on the river, but opponents say that jeopardizes agricultural interests and others downstream. The flood is to protect an endangered fish.

The bio-energy research provision is a favorite of Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN). It would fund the research and development necessary to bring to market an affordable form of biomass ethanol that could replace a substantial portion of the U.S. gasoline which is now refined from OPEC oil, according to Lugar.

"We must develop a long-term strategy to stop foreign oil from future de-stabilization of the American economy. This funding will help accelerate recent advances in science and engineering for producing fuels and chemicals from living plants that are a renewable alternative to fossil fuels," Lugar said.