Oil industry group slams US EPA's renewable fuels proposal

[NEW YORK] The American Petroleum Institute (API) on Friday slammed a proposal from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for requirements for renewable fuels use for 2014, 2015, and 2016, saying the program needs to be overhauled.

API President Jack Gerard said on a conference call that US use of ethanol has hit a saturation point without serious infrastructure change and that consumers do not want the biofuels.

The group is "stepping up our call for Congress to act" to repeal or significantly reform the country's biofuels program, Mr Gerard said.

His comments came after the EPA unveiled targets for the blending of renewable fuels into motor fuel for the three years to 2016, proposing some 17.4 billion gallons of renewable fuels must be used in gasoline or diesel next year.

REUTERS