September 16, 2016 marks the official day retailers across Iowa, and the country, will begin selling E15 to consumers who drive vehicles 2001 or newer. After a three-month hiatus, in which only flex fuel vehicles drivers are allowed to fill up with the fuel, E15 is returning to the masses. In Iowa, the fuel will be available at nearly 70 …
Consumers Ability to Choose #E15 Back at the Pumps
Consumers will have the choice to purchase E15 at the pump again tomorrow, September 16, 2016. For drivers owning a 2001 or newer vehicle, E15 sales are restricted during summer months due to an arcane U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation on Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). The 15th marks the end of EPA’s “volatility control season” opening the fuel back …
ACE Applauds Governors for #E15 Support
Seven governors have sent a bipartisan letter to the EPA asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to “remove a significant regularly obstacle that is preventing large-scale availability and use of E15 and mid-level ethanol blends.” In response, the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) thanked the legislators. According to ACE, they actively encouraged the governors to sign onto the letter. …
Growth’s Manning Talks #E15 Market Access
The Growth Energy team has been working hard on expanding market access for ethanol across the country. To learn more about their efforts, I sat down with Kelly Manning during the Farm Progress Show and we kicked off the interview with talking about the roll out of E15 and the Prime the Pump program. Manning said the retailers have been …
#FlexFuel Roadmap for Retailers Now Online
A new tool developed by the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) for gasoline and ethanol retailers is now available online. The online tool is an interactive version of the E15 and FFV Retailer Roadmap released last month in print form at the ACE annual meeting. It features an interactive calculator that retailers can use to compare current sales and revenue …
New York Proposes Move to #E15
One of the challenges to full-scale adoption of E15 is rules and regulations in some states that keep E15 from being offered at the pump. The state of New York is one of these (as is California) but this could be changing. The New York Department of Agriculture and Markets has proposed a rule to update the state’s fuel regulations …
Diesel Dogs 1st Distributor in Minn to offer #E15
St. Paul based Diesel Dogs Fuel Service is the first distributor to offer pre-blended E15 in Minnesota. This week the company delivered its first gallons of E15 to its municipal and corporate fleet customers in the Twin Cities. And just around the corner, Diesel Dogs will be offering E15 to retail customers. “We hope that by taking the initiative to …
MN Rep Tim Walz Visits Al-Corn Clean Fuel
Minnesota Rep. Tim Walz (D) recently visited Al-Corn Clean Fuel, located in Claremont, Minnesota, on August 24, 2016 to learn more about ethanol and the biorefinery’s upcoming expansion. Rep. Walz also took the opportunity to reiterate his support for Minnesota-produced biofuels. While at the ethanol plant, who recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, Walz was briefed on Al-Corn’s $146 million expansion …
#Ethanol Plant to Gas Station Lowers Pump Prices
Ethanol provides consumers savings at the pump – especially when the retailer passes along the RIN (Renewable Identification Number) savings to their customers. No one knows this better than Dave Sovereign, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Golden Grain Energy, and owner and investor of Cresco Fast Stop in Cresco, Iowa. I was able to sit down with Sovereign …
#ACE2016 Discusses the Future of #Ethanol
What is the future of ethanol? This was the topic of discussion during the recent 29th annual American Coalition for Ethanol Conference (ACE). The panel included Chad Friese, General Manager, Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company; Delayne Johnson, Quad County Corn Processors CEO; and East Kansas Agri-Energy President and CEO Jeff Oestmann. One of the key topics was how to keep the …