The 2008 Republican platform, approved at the party's convention in St. Paul, Minn., calls for ending the renewable fuel standard for ethanol, and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., says that's a big mistake.

It's "proof that Republicans are not always right," Thune said Tuesday in an interview. "On this one, they just got it wrong."

"I'm disappointed in that," Thune said. "It came as a bit of a surprise."

Another ethanol backer who was surprised was Brian Jennings of Sioux Falls, executive vice president of the American Coalition for Ethanol.

He said the policy has been a big success and that it has helped reduce gas prices, clean the environment, reduce foreign oil dependence and restore some prosperity to farm country.

The renewable fuel standard was expanded in the 2007 energy bill to require a total of 36 billion gallons of biofuels to be blended into gasoline by 2022.

"Merrill Lynch analysts state that if ethanol producers weren't expanding their output, oil and gasoline prices would be 15 percent higher, and Iowa State University research shows that the availability of ethanol has saved American motorists between 29 and 40 cents per gallon at the pump," Jennings said. "And last year, for the first time since 1977, our nation's imports of oil went down. Our domestic ethanol policy is working."

Thune said the GOP platform committee might have been dominated by people from other parts of the country.

"I don't think that is at all reflective of the view of the majority of the Republicans in the Upper Midwest, kind of the ethanol belt," he said.

Ethanol is helping the U.S. increase its supply of fuel, according to Thune.

"That's a big mistake. If we keep doing what we're doing, we're going to keep getting what we're getting, and right now we're 70 percent dependent on foreign oil."

Jennings pointed out that the Bush administration supports the ethanol policy and that many Republican members of Congress are leaders in the effort.

"We are confident ethanol will continue to enjoy bipartisan support at the local, state, and federal levels," he said.

Thune echoed that sentiment. "We'll do everything we can to make sure the policies stay in place at the congressional level."

Thune said he disagrees with Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, who does not favor the renewable fuel standard. "He supports renewable fuels but doesn't like the government incentives," Thune said.