U.S. Senators Call For EPA To Consider Ethanol Mandate Waiver

WASHINGTON-(AP)--Senate Republicans want the Environmental Protection Agency to consider waiving the country's ethanol production mandate amid rising food prices.

Twenty-two Republican senators, including presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona, have sent a letter to the EPA. They said the agency has the authority to waive, or restructure, a law passed by Congress requiring a five-fold increase in U.S. ethanol production by 2022.

Lawmakers are ramping up questions about the potential unintended consequences of using corn for fuel amid rising global demand for food.