Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is endorsing an increase in the ethanol blend rate to 15 percent.
Vilsack said, “We can move fairly quickly to move that rate up from 10 percent to maybe 12 or 13 percent in the interim and then take an even further jump to 15 percent or even 20 percent over the course of the next couple of years.”
On Friday the ethanol industry officially petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to raise the amount. 10 Midwestern states’ directors (including South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Kansas, Minnesota, Michigan, Montana and Ohio) wrote to the EPA requesting the raise.
The letter read, “American ethanol production has nearly reached 10 percent saturation. We must move to a base blend of 15 or 20 percent in 2009 in order to continue growing this vital industry. By working together to promote domestic productions and improve market access, we can continue o deliver a clean, renewable fuel that has a positive impact on our domestic economy.”
The increase will not only help lower the nation’s dependency on oil, but also calls for an increase in crops.
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