Battle lines form on ethanol regs

Lawmakers and industry groups are gearing up for a monthlong battle over the future of the federal ethanol mandate. The Obama administration is set to finalize federal requirements for ethanol levels in gasoline by the end of the month, a deadline that has kicked off a flurry of public and behind-the-scenes lobbying over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Corn growers and biofuel backers in Congress want the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase required ethanol levels beyond the targets it proposed in May, which were well below what lawmakers envisaged when expanding the RFS in 2007. Read More