Contact: Emma Koehler
515-252-6249

WEST DES MOINES, IA – Today U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is releasing obligated funding of $537 million under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) for 543 projects in 29 states, upholding President Trump’s vision of unleashing American energy. Sec. Rollins made the announcement while visiting Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) member Elite Octane in Atlantic, Iowa today.

“This is very good news and IRFA members appreciate Sec. Rollins’s announcement as construction season is upon us,” said IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “E15 is the largest untapped domestic market for American agriculture. Today’s announcement means farmers will benefit from higher demand and consumers will benefit from lower-cost options at the pump. HBIIP, a program created by USDA during President Trump’s first term, is key to helping retailers navigate current regulations on dispensing equipment for higher blends. Moving forward, we urge Sec. Rollins to work with her counterparts at EPA to implement President Trump’s previous directive to allow all current equipment to store and dispense E15 blends. By streamlining regulations, this will greatly speed up the adoption of E15 across the country while saving hundreds of millions of dollars in unneeded expenditures.”

HBIIP provides cost-share grants to retailers who are working to expand access to biofuel blends, aiming to significantly increase the sale and use of ethanol and biodiesel. On average each grant dollar has leveraged four dollars in private investment. Iowa retailers can also apply to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program for cost-share grants to offer higher ethanol and biodiesel blends.

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 42 ethanol refineries capable of producing 4.7 billion gallons annually – including 34 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity – and 10 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce 416 million gallons annually. For more information, visit the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website at: www.IowaRFA.org.

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