E15 For All This Fall 

By Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture

All 2001 and newer vehicles can again legally use E15 this fall. This change will help consumers save money and give them additional choices at the gas pump.

E15, a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline, has been approved to be safely used in all vehicles that are 2001 and newer.  Unfortunately, a regulatory barrier from EPA has unnecessarily restricted the sale of E15 between June 1 and Sept. 15 to flex-fuel vehicles.

As we move into fall, I encourage Iowans to give lower-cost, clean-burning E15 a try.

We continue to see significant growth in E15 availability. There are more than 160 sites offering E15 at stations all across the state. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association has a map of where stations are located on their website at https://iowarfa.org/.

At the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, we manage the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program, which offers cost-share grants to support fuel stations interested in expanding access to ethanol and biodiesel. Since 2007 the RFIP has provided nearly $40 million to fuel retailers across the state to expand access to renewable fuels, including 332 ethanol and 431 biodiesel projects during that time.

This continued growth in use of renewable fuels has a multitude of benefits for our state.  Ethanol and biodiesel are cleaner burning and help protect our state’s air and water. The 43 ethanol plants and 12 biodiesel facilities in our state provide great jobs in our local communities and contribute millions of dollars to our economy.

As consumers, let’s take advantage of the greater availability of this Iowa-produced, clean-burning, renewable fuel this fall.

Mike Naig grew up on a family farm in the northwest corner of the state near Cylinder, Iowa and he continues to be involved in the operation today. Mike was appointed by Governor Kim Reynolds to succeed Bill Northey as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture on March 5, 2018. Prior to that, he had served as Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture since September 2013.