  We use the strong nebular lines of O III, 5007 A and 4959 A, to set a robust
upper limit on the time dependence of the fine structure constant. We find
|alpha^{-1} d alpha(t)/dt | < 2*10^{-13} yr, corresponding to Delta
alpha/alpha(0) = (0.7 +- 1.4) * 10^{-4} for quasars with 0.16 < z < 0.80
obtained from the SDSS Early Data Release. Using a blind analysis, we show that
the upper limit given here is invariant with respect to 17 different ways of
selecting the sample and analyzing the data. As a by-product, we show that the
ratio of transition probabilities for the 5007 A and the 4959 A lines is2.99 +-
0.02, in good agreement with (but more accurate than) theoretical estimates. We
compare and contrast the O III emission line method used here with the
Many-Multiplet method that has been used recently to suggest evidence for a
time-dependent alpha. In an Appendix, we have analyzed the larger quasar sample
from the SDSS Data Release One Sample and find Delta alpha/alpha(0) = (1.2 +-
0.7) * 10^{-4}.
