Nelson tired of waiting on EPA

Ben (Geman) sends reaction from Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) to the EPA’s decision to delay approval of so-called E15, a fuel blend that is 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline.

“I’m not suggesting that this is something they don’t want to do,” Nelson said. “But I have to ask questions – why does it take so long to engage in study after study after study on something that almost every person would say is common sense. If a car can burn 10 percent blend, and most everyone says they can burn 15 percent blend, why all the studies that go on indefinitely?”

“June is better than a year from now, but that doesn’t mean I have taken the idea off the table of introducing legislation,” Nelson said. The legislation would require EPA to allow the mid-level blends. Ethanol opponents said they would lobby against such a bill.

EPA said its decision would come in June. Some ethanol producers took EPA’s announcement as a positive sign. The agency indicated that testing so far shows that cars model years 2001 and later seem to have no problem handling higher ethanol blends.

“Obviously you don’t want to push one of the alphabet agencies to do something it doesn’t want to do,” Nelson said.