Iowa delegation wants EPA to hear from state on ethanol

Source: By Joe Morton / World-Herald bureau • Posted: Tuesday, June 16, 2015

WASHINGTON — Iowa’s congressional delegation, led by Republican Rep. David Young, is pushing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to hold a public hearing in Iowa on its proposal for how much ethanol must be blended into the nation’s gasoline supply.

The agency recently unveiled a proposal that aims at a compromise between the desires of the ethanol industry, which wants the agency to hold to ambitious, congressionally mandated levels of ethanol use, and the oil industry’s complaints that the system is at the breaking point and can’t handle that much of the alternative fuel.

The Iowa delegation insists that the EPA is using flawed justifications in going with levels below those set by Congress.

“Iowa industry leaders, farmers, retailers and consumers are well positioned to provide valuable information and substantive feedback on how the (proposal) will negatively impact the agricultural and biofuels industries, consumer choice at the pump, and future investments in 2nd generation renewable fuels and infrastructure,” according to the letter.

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