US Corn Dips Out On Ethanol Mandate
The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday refused to bow to pressure from US ethanol producers and increase the maximum inclusion rate of ethanol in gasoline from 10% to 15%.
The EPA said it needed more time to assess the effect of an increase on the environment, and subsequently delayed a decision until next year.
Cynics say that it might not really be the environment that they are most concerned about in litigation-happy America. They are looking to Congress to protect them from potential lawsuits from car and boat owners against damage to their engines should a blend increase get approved.
A petition from the ethanol industry trade group Growth Energy argued that increasing ethanol levels are safe, and that the ethanol industry is being undermined and economically disadvantaged by this uncertainty fell on deaf ears. I don't know how they kept a straight face when they put that argument together, but that's another matter.
It would seem that when the EPA said to them "well if you're that confident then you won't mind signing here and absolving us for any liability against litigation" - Growth Energy suddenly remembered that they'd left the kettle on and had to dash.
The EPA said it needed more time to assess the effect of an increase on the environment, and subsequently delayed a decision until next year.
Cynics say that it might not really be the environment that they are most concerned about in litigation-happy America. They are looking to Congress to protect them from potential lawsuits from car and boat owners against damage to their engines should a blend increase get approved.
A petition from the ethanol industry trade group Growth Energy argued that increasing ethanol levels are safe, and that the ethanol industry is being undermined and economically disadvantaged by this uncertainty fell on deaf ears. I don't know how they kept a straight face when they put that argument together, but that's another matter.
It would seem that when the EPA said to them "well if you're that confident then you won't mind signing here and absolving us for any liability against litigation" - Growth Energy suddenly remembered that they'd left the kettle on and had to dash.