Think tank recommends 40 changes to ethanol mandate

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) has published a report detailing 40 different options that it suggests could boost the US's ethanol mandate.

The BPC said it set out to find a 'middle ground' for reforming the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), after advocates have pushed for complete abolition of the law or for no changes at all.

'Given the technical complexity and political intensity of the RFS debate, BPC decided to craft a set of detailed policy options rather than propose a single package of improvements,' Jason Grumet, BPC president said in a statement.

The BPC's recommendations include new ways to bring fuel options into the program, changing the way credits for renewable production are managed, better accounting for land use and environmental impact and reducing the mandate's ceiling, among other ideas.

The BPC said it hopes to use the recommendations as a framework for various events and discussions in the coming year on changing the RFS.