Plants that make ethanol may be able to run with fewer environmental rules and less pollution control equipment, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The Bush administration is considering relaxing restrictions, which would allow the plants to create more air pollution to curb oil imports, the newspaper said.
The Environmental Protection Agency often has to fight attempts to curb pollution from ethanol production, but as of March 22 the agency is reversing course.
The EPA sent the proposed rule change for final review by the White House Office of Management and Budget. EPA spokesman John Millett said he expects the process to be completed by the end of April.
Neither agency would comment on what the final rule may look like, or whether the administration is committed to making the change.
However, since the administration has indicated its full support for ethanol, industry insiders are confident the EPA will proceed with the new rule, the newspaper said, even though there have been complaints from environmental advocates and local officials.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Related stories:
Crop management strategies key to a healthy Gulf, planet
Improved management of crops and perennials could go a long way toward alleviating the problem of hypoxia, which claims thousands of fish, shrimp and shellfish in the Gulf of Mexico each spring.
Germany's biofuels plan stalls
German officials said a plan to introduce a biofuel gasoline blend containing 10 percent ethanol may be postponed.
Military action to influence oil-producing nations ineffective, expert says
There is another inconvenient truth about finite resources and human behavior on Planet Earth, an expert on international security and energy says. Trying to influence oil supply with military force in the Middle East is not only ineffective, it also is counterproductive.
Researcher working on corn varieties that need less nitrogen
Jonathan Lynch has made a name for himself doing ground-breaking (pun intended) research on the roots of bean and soybean plants in an effort to improve crop yields in places such as Africa, Asia and Latin America.
For some, it's comfort vs. global warming
Swedish drivers have a dilemma: Drive Volvos and Saabs built in their own backyard or combat global warming by driving something more environmentally friendly.
Ethanol vehicles pose a significant risk to human health, study finds
Ethanol is widely touted as an eco-friendly, clean-burning fuel. But if every vehicle in the United States ran on fuel made primarily from ethanol instead of pure gasoline, the number of respiratory-related deaths and hospitalizations would likely increase, according to a new study by Stanford University atmospheric scientist Mark Z. Jacobson. His findings are published in the April 18 online edition of the journal
Environmental Science & Technology.
Scientists develop portable generator that turns trash into electricity
A group of scientists have created a portable refinery that efficiently converts food, paper and plastic trash into electricity. The machine, designed for the U.S. military, would allow soldiers in the field to convert waste into power and could have widespread civilian applications in the future.
More renewable fuels will be at the pump
U.S. drivers will be able to gas up their vehicles next year with nearly 3 percent of clean-burning, domestic renewable fuels such as ethanol.