In bipartisan fashion my administration and the Missouri General Assembly stood up for responsible private property owners by passing tough new eminent domain laws that protect people from tax-grabbing local governments, which, as we witnessed in Connecticut, have abused the concept of eminent domain in the name of economic development.

After a terrible U.S. Supreme Court ruling that authorized this atrocious practice, I formed an eminent domain task force to make recommendations to prevent such abuses from occurring in Missouri.

I am pleased to report that the General Assembly accepted 16 of the task force’s 18 recommendations, which will protect the rights of property owners and empower communities to deal with dangerous and neglected properties to protect their residents.

Another significant accomplishment was the passage of a requirement that all gasoline sold in Missouri be comprised of 10 percent ethanol by 2008.

This change is a win-win for our environment and our economy.

Ethanol contains more oxygen than petroleum-based gasoline, so that will improve combustion and reduce emissions of harmful compounds.

Missouri farm families who have struggled with drought and other challenges in recent years now have another market for their corn, which will provide a boost for their businesses and business partners.

Our E-10 requirement will also help reduce our state’s dependency on foreign oil sources, which as we have seen in recent months have been unstable and contributed to record high prices at the gasoline pump.