Good news for Missouri motorists is turning out to be bad news for the state's ethanol producers.

Motorists are fortunate that lawmakers kept their options open last year when they approved a wide-ranging ethanol initiative. A Jan.1, 2008, law requires all regular and mid-grade gasoline sold in the state to be blended with 10 percent ethanol - except when gasoline is cheaper.

Just as mandated, for months virtually all motor fuel sold in the state contained ethanol. The price at the pump in 2007 was determined to be more than 7 cents less per gallon for ethanol blends, and that advantage continued into the first half of 2008.

But then gasoline prices plummeted, and so, too, did the near-term fortunes of ethanol. In the last month, gas retailers across the state have abandoned the alternative fuel in favor of conventional gasoline.

Where does that leave the ethanol industry?

No one can say for sure when gas prices again will top those of ethanol blends. Some are betting it will come this spring, but who really knows? In the meantime, detractors fault ethanol's status as a price-advantaged fuel.

They note that it is taxpayers - the vast majority of whom are motorists - who pay for a 51-cent-a-gallon federal tax credit for ethanol blended with gasoline. They also point out that ethanol blends produce about 3.4 percent less energy per gallon than conventional gasoline.

Take those two together, and the detractors contend we're normally paying a premium, not a discount, for the privilege of burning ethanol blends in our cars and trucks.

And then there is the compelling case that ethanol's growth has put a strain on the nation's corn supply, forcing up prices for everything from cattle feed to candy bars.

In the face of these criticisms, it is worth reminding ourselves why the country went down this road in the first place:

n Ethanol is a cleaner-burning fuel than petroleum, and that makes ethanol blends necessary in large cities under orders to improve their air quality.

n Ethanol reduces our dependence on foreign oil, and having a mature ethanol industry in place almost assuredly gives our nation an important bargaining chip in the high-stakes global struggles over oil.

n Ethanol's impact on corn prices and other commodities is undeniable, but likely to become less pronounced as the market adjusts in coming years. In the meantime, we're doing something collectively to address our need to find renewable sources of energy.