"HONOLULU - Critics are saying it's time for Congress to reconsider ethanol as an alternative fuel, and Hawaii politicians are pushing full-speed ahead to promote ethanol production on fallow sugar lands.
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Critics said the diversion of corn into ethanol in the Midwest has made food costs soar and increased the cost of animal feed.
But in Hawaii, the state's ethanol push is different because producers intend to use land currently not in food production.
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*** and Robinson Sugar Plantation, on Kauai, with partner Pacific West, said it has a permit to go, but it said it still needs more financing.
"We are literally converting ourselves from being a sugar company into an energy company," *** and Robinson President Alan Kennett said.
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About 40 million gallons of ethanol is imported each year, officials said, which supporters said is another reason to push for locally-grown ethanol."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24900324