It was five years ago this week that Scott Zaremba, owner of Zarco 66 in Kansas, made history by becoming the first retailer in the nation to offer 15% ethanol (E15) for sale to motorists. Since that time, the growth of E15 availability has expanded, with nearly 900 stations in 29 states currently offering the fuel blend.

“Thanks in part to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership Program and the industry-funded Prime the Pump initiative, more and more stations are offering E15,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen. Since 2012, Dinneen says more than 1 billion miles have been driven on the fuel without a “single verified case of misfueling, “engine damage,” or inferior performance” reported.

He adds that even greater E15 expansion will occur once retailers can sell E15 year round, instead of being prohibited from selling it in more than two-thirds of the nation’s gasoline market during the summer ozone control season, as legislative and regulatory fixes continue to be pursued.