NATCHEZ &8212; Legislators representing Natchez spoke to a packed room Monday, each giving optimistic reports on efforts to get state support for the Rentech project.

&8220;Rentech is something we are all committed to,&8221; said Rep. Sam Mims, R-McComb.

Mims joined Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Natchez; Sen. Bob Dearing, D-Natchez; and Sen. Kelvin Butler, D-Monticello, at the breakfast forum, sponsored by the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce at Cock of the Walk restaurant.

Rentech, a Colorado-based company, has proposed a plant to be built at the old Belwood Country Club site, producing fuel from coal and petroleum and creating at least 200 jobs.

The company has estimated a capital investment in the Natchez plant of $800,000.

Johnson said support for the Rentech bill, House Bill 1524, which would provide $15 million in bonds to support the project, is strong in the House.

&8220;I&8217;ve never seen this kind of sincere support from other legislators as I see for this project,&8221; Johnson said. &8220;They are impressed with the alternate fuel the company will produce, and that bodes well for this project.&8221;

Once the Natchez delegation introduced the bill in the House, the Senate followed suit, Dearing said.

&8220;We waited for their bill so we could make ours (SB 3001) identical in wording,&8221; he said.

Dearing described the 15 minutes he spent with Gov. Haley Barbour discussing the project.

&8220;He&8217;s up to date and very much in favor of it,&8221; Dearing said.

One fear legislators have is that the Rentech bill be linked in some way to a bill introduced by Northeast Mississippi legislators.

The $14.5 million bill to fund Wellspring would provide money to purchase land where developers in three counties hope to lure an automobile manufacturing plant.

&8220;The Wellspring bill passed the House,&8221; Johnson said. &8220;I held my nose and voted for it. We&8217;ll need their vote.&8221;

However, the two projects are not comparable, he said. &8220;They do not even know what kind of investment they will attract. We&8217;ve provided concrete information about Rentech.&8221;

Butler described the session as &8220;a controversial year&8221; in which legislators have had to make tough decisions. The controversial tax bill, which would have raised taxes on cigarettes and gradually phased out taxes on groceries, was one example.

&8220;The biggest problem I had with it was making sure the municipalities were protected,&8221; he said. &8220;But this is something we could tweak each year to make sure that happens.&8221;

Johnson, who voted in favor of the tax bill, said &8220;for the last 11 years I&8217;ve said we need to take a look at our entire tax structure.&8221;

Low-income residents could benefit from the tax relief on groceries.

&8220;But let&8217;s have the courage and guts to take a look at how we do taxes in this state,&8221; he said.

Mims voted against the tax bill.

&8220;I think this is a policy issue that we should debate,&8221; he said.

A bill he introduced to make stalking of a minor by a convicted sex offender a felony instead of a misdemeanor passed out of the House, Mims said.

A bill Dearing has introduced for the past several years finally has a chance to become law, he said. That bill will change the statute on cruelty to animals to include cats. The Senate has passed the bill.

Butler said a bill that has passed the Senate provides more time for young drivers before they are licensed &8220;giving our children a little more experience behind the wheel and making sure our children are safe out there.&8221;