Dozens of fuel retailers got help from the Renewable Fuels Association this year to apply for $100 million in matching grant funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) under the recently concluded signup period.
RFA hosted webinars with more than 250 participants, thanks to the assistance of state retail organizations from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, and Iowa. At the conclusion of the brief 90-day application window, the organization had helped over 40 companies with their applications. With the generous assistance from the National Corn Growers Association, RFA filed grant applications totaling more than $36 million, with matching retailer funds totaling more than $150 million.
RFA Director Market Development Cassie Mullen said the grant applications represent $200 million in infrastructure funding that could lead to 1,000 more dispensers at more than 220 new E15 locations across 19 states. “One exciting aspect of this round was the interest we saw from applicants in non-traditional ethanol states such as California,” said Mullen. “RFA helped retailers apply for 10 locations in California, and there may have been more than 100 sites that applied statewide.”
Sheetz, which offers E15 and E85 at many of its locations across Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, worked with RFA to apply for funding at 67 new locations. “Over the last few months, we worked side-by-side with RFA and could not have gotten this over the finish line without their hard work and dedication,” said Sheetz Senior Petroleum Scheduler Joshua Jadlock. “This process is not always an easy one, but with our partners at RFA we were able to submit our application and hopefully bring a lot more ethanol into the marketplace.”
RFA has had a perfect success rate in assisting retailers to apply for and receive grants under this program; since 2020, RFA-supported grants led to infrastructure projects by 35 companies, totaling $74 million and covering 260 retail operations spanning 21 states. Going into 2023 and beyond, Mullen noted, more funds will become available for retailers thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides an additional $500 million for higher blend infrastructure. For more information, contact Mullen at cmullen@ethanolrfa.org.