The Dallas Morning News: WASHINGTON – The Obama administration cleared the way Wednesday for more ethanol to be used in cars, trucks and airplanes after government scientists ruled the fuel is greener than they previously thought.
A proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency in May found that some types of corn ethanol were in fact worse for the environment than gasoline, a finding that limited how much ethanol could be blended with gasoline.
But more studies showed that new corn ethanol plants could meet the greenhouse-gas reduction targets set by a 2007 law, the EPA said Wednesday.
“This really unlocks the door for advanced biofuel producers, including corn ethanol producers, to make investments and create jobs,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said.
The revised renewable fuel standard is certain to disappoint Texas-based refiners and their allies in Congress, who already complain that Washington has embraced renewable fuels at the expense of the oil industry. Gov. Rick Perry unsuccessfully challenged the so-called ethanol mandate in 2008, arguing that corn-based ethanol drove up food prices for consumers and feed prices for ranchers.
