Minnesota Leads The Way

  • Wednesday, 01 July 2015 00:00

The E15 Dispenser Bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Mark Dayton on June 13, goes into effect today, making Minnesota the first state in the nation to introduce a law that provides funding for fuel retailers to make minor modifications to dispense E15.

The law, which will disburse $500,000 in grants over a two-year period, will help up to 100 fuel retailers in the state offer E15. The law will also help the state meet its goal in increasing biofuel usage in spark ignition engines over the next 10 years. For 2017, the law requires the volume of biofuels in transportation fuel to be 18 percent. 

A new analysis by the Renewable Fuels Association shows ethanol consumption in Minnesota comprised 12.2 percent of all gasoline consumed in 2013. More importantly, the analysis shows, Minnesota's 12.2 percent level is higher than any other state in the country.

The RFA attributes this to the high volume of E85 stations in the state. Indeed, in 2013, the volume of E85 consumed in the state was 13.05 million gallons. In 2014, it rose to 13.44 million gallons.

According to the analysis, there are 21 other states that have also broken through the "blend wall." But Minnesota is the only state where ethanol comprises over 11 percent of gasoline consumed.

The RFA's analysis clearly shows that Minnesota has clearly led the way in going beyond the oil industry's fictitious blend wall. But it also indicates that there's much to do in terms of meeting the state's goal of biofuels comprising 18 percent of transportation fuel in 2017.

Still, measures like the E15 Dispenser law will contribute significantly to achieving that goal.