WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has rejected an effort to eliminate a government program that supports the distribution of ethanol, sending mixed signals about federal support for a Farm Belt industry that is in danger of becoming a casualty of budget cutting efforts,
The Senate voted 59-41 to reject a measure that would have eliminated government funding for ethanol blender pumps and storage facilities, which are the infrastructure the industry says it needs to get its product to consumers. The House passed a similar measure Thursday and added it to an agriculture spending bill.
The Senate vote came just minutes after the Senate adopted a measure that would end $5 billion a year in ethanol tax credits.
