A coalition of industry and environmental groups has asked the Environmental Protection Agency not to approve any mid-level ethanol blends of gasoline without first allowing public comment on all the information the agency is using to support its decision.
In a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the coalition called on the agency to base its decision on "a complete and sound scientific record and in accordance with the procedures of the Clean Air Act."
The coalition did not list its concerns with raising the amount of ethanol permitted in gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent; in the past, however, organizations have cited the effect of higher levels of ethanol in gasoline on air quality, the corrosive effect it could have on engines, and the possible effects that using corn to produce ethanol could have on the food supply.
At issue is a petition from Growth Energy, an ethanol trade group that asked EPA in 2009 to allow up to 15 percent ethanol in gasoline. The current maximum level is 10 percent. The comment period on the Growth Energy petition closed in July 2009.
"We respectfully but strongly request that EPA provide for a second period of public comment on any data, tests, or studies that EPA may take into consideration in making its determination if such information was not available for review and comment as of the close of the initial public comment period on July 20, 2009," the industry-environmental coalition said in its letter.
