According to data from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, the volume of E15 sold in April was 44.5 percent lower than the volume recorded in March (5.52 million gallons).

On March 13, Gov. Tim Walz declared a state of peacetime emergency as the coronavirus pandemic began to spread in Minnesota. By March 17, places of public accomodation were directed to close. On March 27, a stay-at-home order was issued.

Following the order, traffic volume throughout the state fell dramatically. According to the Metropolitan Council, traffic in the Twin Cities metro area was 60 percent lower than what it usually is on April 4 (the first weekend in April). 

On April 27, select non-essential businesses were allowed to reopen and the traffic volume in the metro and the rest of the state began to increase. On April 30, traffic in the metro was 39.6 percent percent lower than what it was a year earlier. 

On a cumulative basis, 22.8 million gallons of E15 was sold in Minnesota during the first four months of 2020. During the same period in 2019, 23.54 million gallons of E15 was sold.