Scaling back is not the same as eliminating and like many other government programs, nothing is quite so immortal as a government program.
This article actually suggests the EPA actually can recognize reality ... but then the source, the AP, doesn’t recognize reality either.
They are NOT recognizing reality.
Reality:
The EPA on Tuesday said it was basing its 2013 standard on the 810,185 ethanol-equivalent gallons produced with nonfood plants last year.
EPA:
The EPA is proposing 17 million gallons as a target for 2014. The law required 1.75 billion gallons.
Change from complete nonsense to only utter nonsense is not recognizing reality. They are requiring the oil/gasoline companies to use more than 20 time the amount that exists.
Biofuels research, like a lot of research, generates huge amounts of what are basically waste products.
Scaling up research methods to all-out production yields a frightful amount of physical waste that is very expensive to dispose of, not to mention the required waste storage space and regulations.
The 810,185 number appears to be way off. I suspect .81 billion would be more like it.
Disclaimer: I am no fan of ethanol.