Ag Secretary Naig Announces Grants for 48 Projects to Bolster Access to E15, Biodiesel

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig recently announced Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) grants, totaling more than $1.86 million, to support new and expanded biofuel infrastructure projects, including a half-dozen projects in north/northeast Iowa.

These cost-share investments help drivers save money by providing expanded access to lower cost and cleaner burning homegrown biofuels like biodiesel and E15 (Unleaded 88). The 48 approved projects are located in 25 different counties.

Naig said, “We are helping to make affordable, cleaner-burning options like E15 and biodiesel more widely available. These infrastructure investments boost our economy, strengthen rural communities, and keep Iowa moving forward with cleaner, more affordable energy. As the nation’s top biofuel producer, Iowa is also uniquely positioned to put more of our homegrown energy to work right here in our own communities.”

Project grants of $75,000 each have been awarded for E-15 retail site development at Farmers Win Co-op in Waverly, Nexus Cooperative in Sumner, and the Black Hawk Roundabout Center in Cedar Falls. Other E-15 retail grants include $10,000 to Hy-Vee Gas in Oelwein, almost $4,000 to The Pumper in  Fayette, and over $11,000 to Hy-Vee Gas in Mason City.

Since the cost-share grant program began in 2006, the Ag Department has invested more than $65 million toward expanding renewable fuels infrastructure within Iowa. This has been matched with approximately $275 million by Iowa convenience stores and fuel retailers.

A complete list of the projects, sorted by county, is available here.