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EPA won't reduce ethanol requirement

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency refused Thursday to reduce its quota for ethanol use from 9 billion gallons this year and 11 billion gallons in 2009.

The request for the change came from Texas Gov. Rick Perry, representing a state where ranchers blame the increasing use of corn for ethanol for high feed prices, The New York Times reported.

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said the ethanol requirement is helping farmers and keeping oil consumption down without causing "severe harm to the economy or the environment."

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, representing one of the major farm states, called the decision a "victory" for farmers, the environment and national security, The Hill, a Washington political newspaper, reported.

"I am greatly disappointed with the EPA's inability to look past the good intentions of this policy to see the significant harm it is doing to farmers, ranchers and American households," Perry said.

The high prices for both oil and corn have had a mixed effect on the ethanol industry, the Times said. Ethanol production has exceeded the mandate, but some producers are losing money because of the high cost of raw materials.

Guantanamo detainee gets 5 1/2 years

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Convicted terror supporter Salim Ahmed Hamdan Thursday received a 5 1/2 year sentence, far short of the 30 years-to-life sentence prosecutors wanted.

Hamdan's sentence includes the five years and one month he has already served, making him eligible for release in five months, The Miami Herald reported.

Hamdan was captured in Afghanistan in 2001 with two surface-to-air missiles in his car. He has been held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2002.

Prosecutor John Murphy characterized Hamdan, a Yemenite, as an al-Qaida operative and key player in the international terror infrastructure.

Hamdan's conviction Wednesday followed a two-week trial during which prosecutors tried to paint him as an integral part of al-Qaida but the defense insisted he was merely a civilian employee and was being made a scapegoat.

Report: Bill Clinton to speak in Denver

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will speak at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, NBC News reported Thursday.

Citing sources, the network said presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama personally invited Clinton to speak at the convention. Plans call for the former president to address the convention Wednesday, Aug. 28, prior to a speech by the Democrats' running mate.

The report came as aides to Obama and his main rival for the nomination, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, issued a statement saying they were working together to ensure victory in the presidential election, even as Clinton supporters urge her to have her name placed in nomination at the convention. Hillary Clinton had suggested during a California fundraiser she was weighing her options, Politico reported Thursday.

"I happen to believe that we will come out stronger if people feel that their voices were heard and their views were respected. I think that is a very big part of how we actually come out unified," ABC News reported Clinton as saying. "No decisions have been made. And so we are trying to work all this through with the (Democratic National Convention) and with the Obama campaign."

The Obama and Clinton camps, in an e-mail message, downplayed possible conflict, Politico said.

"We are working together to make sure the fall campaign and the convention are a success. At the Democratic Convention, we will ensure that the voices of everyone who participated in this historic process are respected and our party will be fully unified heading into the November election," the statement said.

McCain to return unusual donations

RIVERSIDE, Calif., Aug. 7 (UPI) -- John McCain's U.S. presidential campaign said Thursday it would return donations raised by the Jordanian business partner of a prominent Florida fundraiser.

Campaign finance records indicate that the Arizona senator, the probable Republican presidential nominee, collected more than $50,000 in March from members of a single extended family, the Abdullahs of California, and several of their friends. The New York Times reported.

The donations reportedly were collected by Harry Sargeant III, finance chairman of the Florida Republican Party and part-owner of a major oil trading firm. He said the actual soliciting of donations was done by a longtime business partner, Mustafa Abu Naba'a of Jordan.

"We are taking the precautionary effort of returning any and all contributions that were solicited by Mr. Abu Naba'a," said Brian Rogers, a campaign spokesman. "We had an issue with the idea there were people giving to the campaign who had no intention of voting for or supporting John McCain."

The Abdullah donations stand out in origin and size, the newspaper said. The checks came from unlikely inland addresses and several donors wrote checks of $9,200, exceeding the $2,300 limit for an individual campaign gift.

Some members of the family also donated to the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, the Times said. Some told the Times they did not care if McCain won, and some even said they hoped he would lose.