The “e” is coming to Illinois.

The Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB) this week introduced a voluntary statewide brand initiative for ethanol fuel including E10 (10% ethanol-enriched fuel) and E85 (85% ethanol and 15% unleaded gasoline).

According to ICMB, they are working with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), the American Lung Association of Illinois and the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association to introduce the initiative. A kickoff event was held on Friday at the Village of Northbrook in Illinois.

ICMB and EPIC chose the Northbrook location to announce the program because of the Village’s long history of support for E85 and flexible fuel vehicle technology. Northbrook adopted E85 and began converting its vehicle fleet to E85 a decade ago, making them the first municipality in Illinois to make a commitment to renewable fuel.

“Northbrook is a community concerned about the environment in general and local air quality in specific. Many residents also share a growing national concern that America should be energy independent. Our investment in E-85 has been consistent with working toward the achievement of those goals,” said John Novison, Northbrook Village Manager.

Illinois has labeled E10 pumps with plain, black and white stickers for years, however, the new green and blue “e” labels are brighter and will offer a higher profile.