Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s plan to double the amount of ethanol sold in gasoline by the year 2012 is a good one.

Ethanol is an important step in the development of alternatives to foreign oil dependence. Its production is an economic boon for rural Minnesota, where most of the plants are located.

Under current law all gas sold in the state must have at least 10-percent ethanol content. The Senate bill, which passed this week on a 54-12 bipartisan vote after a quick debate, would boost that to 20 percent by 2012.

We’ve all known for a long time that fossil fuels will not last forever and the time is going to come when we’ll have to

have an alternative. With the volative situation in the Middle East, it only makes sense. In his

State of the State speech, the governor said promotion of ethanol, a corn-based fuel, could make Minnesota &uot;the Saudi Arabia of alternative fuels.&uot;

Production of ethanol has also become a key economic development tool for rural Minnesota. The 14 existing ethanol plants in Minnesota produce about 400 million gallons of ethanol a year, and supporters say the higher requirement would call for production of about 550 million gallons a year.

Of course, the higher ethanol levels are opposed by fuel and automobile manufacturers, who say most vehicles are not engineered to process that much ethanol. But isn’t it time they made them to do so?

Minnesota can &045; and should &045; be a leader here.