Republicans furious EPA chief rejected proposal to cut ethanol blending

In Washington, Reuters reports that the acting administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency rejected a staff proposal last December that would have cut the biofuel blending mandate, a move that has enraged Republicans and threatened their votes in the Senate confirmation hearing that would make the acting administrator the permanent one. The proposal sought to cut ethanol blending to 14.3 billion gallons per year through 2023 when the Renewable Fuel Standard expires from the current 15 billion gallons.