Sales of E85 in both Minnesota and Iowa were up in the first quarter of 2014. Based on data from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, E85 sales in Minnesota in the first quarter totaled 3.77 million gallons, representing a 49 percent increase from 2.52 million gallons reported in the same period of 2013.

In Iowa, E85 sales in the first three months of this year amounted to 2.7 million gallons, up 48 percent from the first quarter of 2013, reports Domestic Fuel.com.

The shale oil boom is now leading to crude oil exports from the US for the first time since the 1970s, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The report said two companies have been given permission to export shale oil, lifting an export ban on crude oil that has been in place since the 70s. 

With the EPA's decision on 2014's Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO) for ethanol production expected to be announced in the near future, the agency may want to take a closer look at current crude oil prices which have been trending upwards.

A strong basis for the Renewable Fuel Standard, which was enacted in 2005 and expanded under the Energy Independence Security Act (EISA) in 2007 was to wean America off foreign oil.

The American Lung Association of Minnesota is hosting a series of workshops on B10 this month to help diesel retailers and farmers better understand the state's requirement for diesel and biodiesel fuel.

From July 1 to Sept 30, all #2 diesel fuel in Minnesota will contain 10% biodiesel (B10). Following September, all #2 diesel will revert to containing 5% biodiesel (B5). From 2015 onwards, B10 will be available from April 1 to Sept 30 while B5 will be available in the other months.

Ethanol producers looking to expand beyond our shores may be looking at China as an export destination. RFA CEO, Bob Dineen, said in a recent column in Ethanol Producer Magazine that the RFA, along with Growth Energy, joined the USDA in a recent trip to China to explore the potential of exporting ethanol and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) to Asia's second largest economy.