On the eve of Earth Day 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency began accepting public comment on the waiver request to raise the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline from 10 percent to up to 15 percent.

Citing the Earth Day connection, waiver petitioner Growth Energy urged Americans to support the increased use of clean, green ethanol by submitting comments supporting the request. According to Growth Energy, moving from the current ten percent blend up to a 15 percent blend could reduce an additional 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per year – a reduction equal to removing 3.5 million vehicles from the road.

“As citizens and policymakers alike work to green our planet, ethanol represents among the best solutions to fuel our country’s environmental sustainability, economic growth and energy independence,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. “Growth Energy encourages all Americans to stand with us in support of ethanol by making your voice heard to the EPA.”

Written comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0211, must be received within 30 days of today’s publication date. More information can be found on-line from EPA.