Ethanol came up in a meeting this week between President Barack Obama and regional newspaper reporters in Washington D.C.

According to the Des Moines Register, the president did not say whether the administration would increase the amount of ethanol that could be added to regular gasoline, as requested by the ethanol industry, but did indicate he would ultimately make that decision, which he said would involve “reconciling a lot of different issues.”

Obama also said that while he does not believe corn-based ethanol will “provide us with the energy-efficient solutions that are needed” he does want to maintain the “progress we’ve made in building up a biofuels infrastructure and the important income generation that has come from ethanol plants.”

The president met with 15 newspaper reporters from around the country in a round table discussion that allowed them to ask about topics pertinent to their particular areas.

POST UPDATE: Here is a link to the official transcript of Obama’s answer to the Des Moines Register question on higher blends, courtesy of the Quad City Times.