U.S. raises ethanol fuel standard for 2009

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- The federal government said Monday it is increasing the target for the amount of ethanol used in the U.S. gasoline supply to 11.1 billion gallons.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a written statement that its 2009 Renewable Fuels Standard had been set at 10.21 percent, which will ensure at least 11.1 billion gallons of ethanol will be used.

The 2008 RFS was 7.76 percent, which translated to about 9 billion gallons.

The U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 set a target of 36 billion gallons of ethanol to be used annually in transportation fuels by 2022.

The Federal Trade Commission said in a written statement Monday that there were 160 companies involved in ethanol production in the United States as of September, up 57 from last fall. The largest producers account for about 11 percent of U.S. ethanol production compared with 16 percent in 2007.