There is a lot of focus, and rightly so, on the amendment put forward by Sens. Tom Harkin, Charles Grassley and Ben Nelson to block the EPA from implementing the indirect land-use change rule when adopting carbon standards for the Renewable Fuel Standard.

What the amendment essentially does, by the way, is not to kill the policy, but strip away funding for the EPA to implement the rule in 2010. It's effectively the same strategy used by opponents of country-of-origin labeling earlier in the decade to delay that rule.

As DTN's Jerry Hagstrom reported, there are a lot of agricultural supporters for that amendment.

But, it turns out, there are a variety of amendments out there on EPA that could have an effect on pending legislation or proposals, particularly when it comes to ethanol.

There also are dueling provisions on ethanol blends. Sens. Nelson and Grassley joined South Dakota's John Thune and Tim Johnson to require the EPA to raise the blend level from E-10 to E-15. Yet, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., has a counter provision to deny funds for that type of change in blend levels.

Reuters also reported Tuesday that Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is crafting an amendment that would block the EPA from issuing regulations on greenhouse-gas emissions, calling it a "time out" that would allow Congress to complete its legislation.

I can be found on Twitter at chrisclaytonDTN.