Comments Requested on Increasing Ethanol Blend Rate

Corn growers are being urged to contact the Environmental Protection Agency by May 21 to support an increase in the allowable ethanol blend for gasoline up to 15 percent.

“We need to get comments into the EPA relating back to how ethanol is important to growers, to their farms, to their families, how it’s important to economic success in the Midwest and all across the country and how it’s important for energy security,” says National Corn Growers Association first vice president Darrin Ihnen. He suggests going to the NCGA website or state corn grower association websites for information on how to make comments by email or regular mail.

Corn growers have been encouraged by comments that have been made by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who told farm broadcasters meeting in Washington this week that he has a good working relationship with Jackson. “By virtue of that line of communication, I think we’ve made a difference in EPA accelerating their consideration on the blend wall issue for ethanol,” said Vilsack. “We’ve got an important industry that’s sort of an infant industry that’s going through a tough time now and increasing that percentage, whatever it is, that’s going to help.”

Vilsack says they have made a very concerted effort to educate EPA about the status of the ethanol industry and how important it is to the president’s goals that we maintain the infrastructure.

Listen to Vilsack’s comments on that issue here:

Meanwhile, a group of 36 diverse organizations, including livestock, poultry and food industry associations, are asking EPA to extend the comment period on the petition to increase the ethanol blend rate. In a letter addressed to the EPA Docket Clerk, the organizations expressed their appreciation of agency’s efforts in soliciting comments on this waiver application. However, “because of the complexity and highly technical nature of the application’s potential implications, a 60-day extension would be needed, given the diverse array of parties that would be impacted, as well as the limited time to review.”

The EPA Docket No: [EPA–HQ–OAR–2009–0211; FRL–8894–5], “Notice of Receipt of a Clean Air Act Waiver Application to Increase the Allowable Ethanol Content of Gasoline to 15 Percent; Request for Comment,” was published in the Federal Register on April 21, 2009.