Ethanol rises above partisanship

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6. Link to story

http://www.omaha.com/article/20131111/NEWS/131119845/1685#ethanol-rises-above-partisanship

Ethanol subsidies ended Jan 2012, mandate continues.

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That session will feature experts on the current state of biofuels, including production and consumption, supply and demand, market conditions and other aspects. The goal is to blunt gathering momentum for reductions in the Renewable Fuel Standard, the federal mandate that oil companies blend a certain amount of biofuels every year into the gasoline supply.

Oil companies have lobbied furiously to get relief from the requirements, arguing that the standard is outdated and eventually calls for unreachable levels of ethanol usage. It appears that they have made some headway.

The current requirement stands at 13.8 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol for 2013. Instead of increasing that level next year as planned, the Environmental Protection Agency is contemplating reducing the requirement to 13 billion for 2014, Reuters has reported on the basis of leaked EPA documents.

Lawmakers from the oil producing Gulf Coast region also are looking at legislation to roll back the requirements

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