PLYMOUTH -- Indiana has corn, and lots of it.

Not to mention plenty of drivers with a thirst for motor fuel.

And it is bringing that homegrown corn to those drivers in the form of blended ethanol fuel that had U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-2nd District, standing at a Plymouth filling station Wednesday, touting the passage of legislation aimed in part at putting Hoosier corn in cars while pumping dollars into the bank accounts of Hoosier farmers.

"Every gallon of ethanol that we produce is one less gallon of gasoline we have to get from the Middle East," Donnelly said.

The congressman was joined by a small group of ethanol proponents at the Family Express filling station at the intersection of Lincoln Highway and Oak Road on Wednesday to celebrate the passing of House Resolution 2505, also known as the E85 PUMP Act, which Donnelly authored.Among other things, the legislation is aimed at blocking a clause some oil companies write into contracts with filling station operators, barring them from selling E85, a blend of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol that can be used in place of gasoline in some newer vehicles.

To ethanol proponents like Donnelly, the effect of such clauses is to block the growing market for the corn-derived fuel, while forcing consumers to continue using conventional gasoline that is often refined from oil sourced from the Middle East.

"Currently, there are 1,200 stations in the country selling E85," Donnelly said. "That's out of 168,000 stations."

Gus Olympidis, president and CEO of the Valparaiso-based Family Express, is working to change that. The Plymouth station is one of 19 Family Express locations that offer E85.

"Our commitment is bold, because we believe this is a fundamental issue," he said. "This is a renewable, clean-burning fuel source that offers a better future for all of us."But not everyone agrees with that assessment. Ethanol has drawn increasing criticism in recent months from opponents who worry about both the environmental and financial costs of producing and using the fuel.

Among other concerns voiced by opponents are skyrocketing corn prices driven by demand for ethanol, which ethanol critics fear could reduce the supply of corn for human and animal food, causing price increases for meat, dairy and grain products.

Charlie Houin, president of the Indiana Farm Bureau's Marshall County office, argued that the rising corn price was a good thing, however, allowing farmers to invest more in their operations.

"Basically, that money is going to trickle down to our farmers," he said. "They are going to be able to invest in new equipment and better technology, which will allow them to increase productivity."

Whether or not one agrees with Donnelly's assertions that E85 is part of a solution to America's search for renewable energy, there is at least one component of its use that Olympidis believes can't be argued with -- it will reduce the demand for foreign oil.To him, that means a lot.

"I have a son who recently came back from service in Iraq," Olympidis said. "We shouldn't have to depend on the Middle East for oil."