E15 Available Again

Tomorrow, (Friday, September 16th, 2016)  Iowa fuel stations will again begin selling E15, the lowest-cost fuel option for the vast majority of vehicles on the road, to 2001 and newer vehicles in Iowa. After a three-month hiatus due to a quirk in summertime blending regulations, E15 will be available at nearly 70 stores across Iowa for all 2001 and newer vehicles.

“With more stations offering E15 than ever before, even more Iowa motorists can once again reap the low-cost benefits of choosing E15,” stated Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Motorists have logged hundreds of millions of trouble-free miles traveled on E15 while achieving essentially the same mileage as E10. Considering E15 is more widely available in Iowa than ever before, I expect E15 sales to skyrocket over the next several months.”

In partnership with Growth Energy, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad tomorrow will sign a proclamation naming September 16 “E15 Day” in Iowa. September 16 is significant because federal fuel volatility regulations restrict the sale of E15 to flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) only from June 1 through September 15 each year. E15 can then be sold to all 2001 and newer vehicles from September 16 through May 31. These vehicles make up about 85 percent of the vehicles on the road today.

“E15 is vitally important, not just to Iowans’ pocketbooks, but to air quality, competition at the pump and Iowa jobs,” added Shaw. “And given Governor Branstad has proclaimed today ‘E15 Day’ in Iowa, there’s no better time to get out there and try some cleaner-burning E15.”

Find fuel stations offering E15 near you by clicking here.

E15 is a fuel blend containing 15 percent ethanol, just five percentage points more ethanol than the most commonly used fuel in the U.S., E10. E15 is often sold at a 5 to 10-cent per gallon discount to E10, and is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use in all 2001 and newer vehicles. To learn more about E15, please click here.

According to a recent IRFA study, Iowa’s renewable fuels industry accounts for more than $4.6 billion of Iowa GDP, generates $2.3 billion in income for Iowa households and supports more than 43,000 jobs throughout all sectors of the Iowa economy. Read the full study by clicking here.

Iowa is the nation’s leader in renewable fuels production. Iowa has 43 ethanol refineries capable of producing 4 billion gallons annually, including nearly 55 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity. In addition, Iowa has 12 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce more than 315 million gallons annually.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association was formed in 2002 to represent the state’s liquid renewable fuels industry. The trade group fosters the development and growth of the renewable fuels industry in Iowa through education, promotion, legislation and infrastructure development.