I want to commend Representatives Jerry Weller, Judy Biggert and John Shimkus for being here today and providing a forum to discuss this important issue. Text of the Governor's testimony is attached. Thank you Rep. Weller for your generous introduction. We are here today to reconfirm Illinois' wholehearted, enthusiastic support for including the use of ethanol in Phase II of the Federal EPA Reformulated Gasoline Program. There are excellent, substantive reasons why Carol Browner should agree with us.
Ethanol improves air quality because it lowers toxic pollutants in vehicle exhausts.
With ethanol included gasoline burns better and as a consequence there are fewer pollutants. The use of ethanol-blended reformulated gasoline has been an effective weapon in the fight against smog in the Chicago, metropolitan area. In 1990 in the Chicago metropolitan area motor vehicles put over 400 tons per day of volatile organic material into the air which are key pollutants in causing the buildup of smog. Since 1995, the use of ethanol-blended reformulated gasoline in the Chicago metropolitan area has reduced those harmful emissions by more than 100 tons per day. Ethanol use reduces carbon monoxide, which helps us meet federal air quality standards on a year around basis.