U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn is joining with a bipartisan group of senators to eliminate the mandate for blending corn ethanol into gasoline refined and consumed in the United States.
The Oklahoma Republican announced Thursday he was joining with California Democrat Dianne Feinstein and other co-sponsors on The Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act of 2013.
In a news release, Coburn described the mandate as a "misguided policy" that has cost taxpayers billions of dollars and led to higher fuel prices.
"Eliminating this mandate will let market forces, rather than political and parochial forces, determine how to diversify fuel supplies in an ever-changing marketplace," Coburn said in a statement. "I’m grateful my colleagues on both sides of aisle are prepared to take this long-overdue step to protect consumers and taxpayers from artificially high fuel and food prices.”
Other co-sponsors include Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Bob Corker, R-Tenn.; Kay Hagan, D-N.C.; Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.; Joe Manchin, D-W. Va.; Jim Risch, R-Idaho; and Patrick Toomey, R-Pa.
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