The Renewable Fuels Association thanks fuel retailer Sheetz for slashing prices on higher ethanol blends for a full week ahead of the Independence Day weekend and providing the opportunity for much needed ethanol education.

Sheetz is offering E15 for $3.99 per gallon and E85 for $3.49 at all of their 350-plus stations that sell the fuels, which cover multiple states. The national average price for regular gasoline yesterday was $4.87 per gallon, according to AAA. RFA also released a new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document today, aimed at answering the most common consumer questions about E15 and dispelling prevalent myths about the fuel.

“At a time when American families are feeling unprecedented pain at the pump, we applaud Sheetz for this innovative effort to demonstrate and promote ethanol’s enormous cost-saving benefits,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “In recent months, ethanol has been selling for $1-1.50 per gallon less than gasoline at wholesale terminals where fuel is blended.”

Cooper also noted that the Sheetz promotion happens to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the first gallon of E15 being sold, at a retail station in Lawrence, Kansas. “Today, there are roughly 2,600 stations across the country selling E15 and more than 5,500 stations selling flex fuels like E85, with new stations being added on an almost daily basis,” said Cooper. “This Fourth of July, we encourage all Americans to declare their independence from dirty foreign oil by choosing homegrown, lower-cost ethanol blends like E15 and E85.”