With Guidelines Clarified, Fuel Retailers Surge Toward Compliance with Iowa’s E15 Access Standard

Today 86 Fuel Retail Locations Received E15 Grants from the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program

Contact: Emma Koehler
515-252-6249

JOHNSTON, IA - Today, Iowa's cost-share Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) awarded over $4 million in grants for Iowa fuel retail locations to add E15 (15% ethanol, 85% petroleum) to 86 retail sites throughout the state. Under Iowa's E15 Access Standard adopted in 2022, retailers have until January 1, 2026 to offer E15 for sale to Iowa motorists. Earlier this year, the Iowa Legislature streamlined E15 requirements and increased the RFIP grant size.

"The move to E15 as the 'new normal' continues to accelerate," said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw. "This is great news for consumers who can save 15-25 cents per gallon with E15 and for Iowa farmers who need expended ethanol markets to bolster prices. We're also seeing more locations simply swap out E10 for E15. That's a trend that we believe will continue. Today's grants were the first under the new rules and we saw a very robust response."

New legislation, signed into law in May 2024, allows retailers to install fuel dispensers compatible with the fuel being offered, in this case E15, instead of the more strict and expensive E85 standard during the transition period through December 31, 2025. Starting January 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030, new dispensers must be compatible with E40 blends. Beginning July 1, 2030, the dispenser requirement reverts back to E85 compatibility.

"There is no reason for retailers to miss the 2026 deadline for offering E15," stated Shaw. "Rules have been streamlined. Grant sizes and funding have increased. Year-round E15 has been approved in Iowa. Every Iowa motorist deserves the cost-saving option of E15."

In addition to E15 grants, RFIP also have awarded $1.75 million to 49 retail fuel sites to add biodiesel blends. Retailers receiving these grants agree to sell at least a B11 blend (11% biodiesel) during the summer and at least a B5 blend during the winter months. Approximately three-quarters of the biodiesel produced in Iowa is made from soybean oil. Distillers corn oil from ethanol plants, animal fats, canola oil and used cooking oil makes up the other biodiesel feedstocks.

Before today's awards, the RFIP program has distributed more than $53.5 million to help fund ethanol and biodiesel infrastructure across Iowa, allowing retailers to add necessary equipment to their stations to offer higher blends of biofuels. The program has led to millions of dollars of private economic investment and hundreds of new stations offering higher blends of biofuels at the pump.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association represents the state's liquid renewable fuels industry and works to foster its growth. Iowa is the nation's leader in renewable fuels production with 42 ethanol refineries capable of producing 4.7 billion gallons annually - including 34 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity - and 10 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce 416 million gallons annually. For more information, visit the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website at: www.IowaRFA.org.

###

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.