The Minnesota Department of Commerce said in a report today E15 sales in April reached 485,922 gallons, nearly triple the amount sold in the same month last year (183,358 gallons). In comparison to March 2016 (507,607 gallons), E15 sales in April were slightly lower but this was likely due to the fact there were fewer stations reporting.

The Department of Commerce tabulates E15 sales from stations that offer E15 and mid-blends (E20-E50) and according to it, only 56 of those stations submitted reports in April compared to 59 in March. 

Apart from E15, other higher blends of ethanol like E85 and E30 recorded increases in April.

After several months of slower sales, E85 sales in April totaled a million gallons, up 42 percent from the previous month (706,007 gallons), according to data from the Minnesota Department of Revenue.

It should be noted that E85 sales jumped despite a lower price differential between E85 and regular unleaded in April compared to March. In March, E85 was on average priced 39 cents cheaper than regular unleaded. In April, it slipped to a difference of 35 cents. 

In total, 3.38 million gallons of E85 have been sold in the first four months of 2016.

E30 sales in April also grew to 40,340 gallons compared to 36,781 gallons a month earlier.