U.S. ethanol production fell last year — the first annual decline since 1996 — on record corn prices, Bloomberg reported.

Federal regulators rejected a plea from several states to waive the requirement for gasoline producers to blend ethanol into their fuel, saying the economic conditions necessary for such a waiver did not exist.

Ford, Toyota and other automakers have criticized an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to allow gasoline with 15% ethanol content in all cars and trucks, Bloomberg reported.