EWG

Contact: 

Sara Sciammacco

(202) 667-6982

ssciammacco@ewg.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013

Washington, D.C. -- The Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to lower the amount of corn ethanol blended in gasoline in 2014 acknowledges that the Renewable Fuel Standard program is broken. However, Congress must act to address corn ethanol's well-documented harms to consumers and the environment, EWG said in a statement today.

Alex Rindler, EWG's Policy Associate, said:

“EPA’s proposal recognizes that the RFS is on a collision course with reality. In order to bring alternative biofuels to the market, Congress must permanently reform the program to eliminate the costly and environmentally destructive corn ethanol mandate. Corn ethanol has clearly failed to produce the benefits it once promised, and has proven to be disastrous for consumers and the environment."

http://www.ewg.org/release/epa-recognizes-broken-ethanol-mandate-ignores-reality

"Big Ethanol Finally Loses" Wall Street Journal

"It's not often that the ethanol lobby suffers a policy setback in Washington, but it got its head handed to it Friday. The Environmental Protection Agency announced that for the first time it is lowering the federal mandate that dictates how much ethanol must be blended into the nation's gasoline."

"The 16% reduction is a modest pullback, which EPA says will hold ethanol blends in gasoline at the standard 10% (E10). But we hope this is a precedent-setting victory. After 35 years of exaggerations about the benefits of renewable fuels, the industry has lost credibility."


http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303789604579198081681248494