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Va. senators ask for temporary waiver of ethanol mandate

Virginia’s two U.S. senators are asking the government to ease off the federal ethanol mandate to help the state’s poultry, dairy and cattle industries.

The farming community has complained that too much of the nation’s corn crop is being diverted to biofuel. That’s driving up the cost of feed.

A federal mandate passed in December diverts about one-third of U.S. corn toward the production of ethanol.

Last week, Sens. John Warner and Jim Webb said they sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency in support of a temporary waiver of that mandate.

They cited the increased costs to farmers, who pass some of those costs off to consumers.

The poultry business said 70 percent of its costs are for feed.

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