Contact: Cassidy Walter
515-252-6249

JOHNSTON, IOWA – Today STAR Energy FS announced intentions to establish Monarch Fueling Stations at four of its locations. STAR Energy FS will be the first Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) member to establish a Monarch Fueling Station that is not a biofuel plant.

The monarch habitats will span anywhere from over a quarter of an acre to two acres, depending on the location. Seeding is expected to take place within the next month. STAR Energy FS is also looking at expanding the project to other locations in future years.

“We at STAR Energy FS are excited to come alongside Iowa biofuels plants in this effort to help restore the population of the monarch butterfly,” said Jeff Manthei, general manager for STAR Energy FS. “This seemed like a natural next step considering we already work closely with Iowa biofuels plants to offer blends of their excellent fuels.”

The location and size of the plots was decided in consultation with Kevin Reynolds, the IRFA Habitat Establishment Coordinator.

“The Monarch Fueling Station Project is catching momentum,” Reynolds said. “While we first started by working with biofuels plants, it is my hope that more and more businesses affiliated with the industry like STAR Energy FS will join the coalition and we can make an even bigger impact.”

The Monarch Fueling Station Project was established by IRFA in partnership with the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium in December 2017. It is a program to help Iowa’s ethanol and biodiesel plants establish patches of monarch habitat on plant grounds. To learn more about the IRFA Monarch Fueling Station Project, contact IRFA at info@IowaRFA.org or 515-252-6249.

Star Energy FS’ four Monarch Fueling Stations are outlined in red above.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association represents the state’s liquid renewable fuels industry and works to foster its growth. Iowa is the nation’s leader in renewable fuels production with 43 ethanol refineries capable of producing nearly 4.4 billion gallons annually – including approximately 55 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity – and 12 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce 400 million gallons annually. For more information, visit the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website at: www.IowaRFA.org.

###