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With support from corn farmers, E15 gaining popularity in Minnesota

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E15

Fueling stations in MN who have received funding support from MN corn farmers sold 300,000 gallons of E15 the first two months of 2015.

The support of Minnesota’s corn farmers is fueling a rise in popularity of E15, which is a blend of 15 percent homegrown ethanol and 85 percent gasoline approved for use in vehicles model year 2001 or newer.

In January and February of 2015 (that’s all we have data for so far), nearly 300,000 gallons of E15 were sold in Minnesota by retailers who received funding support from a broad coalition that included the Minnesota Corn Growers Association to install flex-fuel pump infrastructure.

Today, 20 stations have received funding support from the coalition to dispense E15 and other higher-ethanol blends. That number is expected to increase to 30 in the coming months.

Why is this important? Because the investment of corn farmers (and others) to provide drivers with less expensive, cleaner-burning choices at the pump is paying off. Those 300,000 gallons of E15 sold mean an additional 9,000 gallons of ethanol have been used above and beyond the standard 10 percent ethanol blend contained in all regular unleaded fuel.

And with more stations dispensing E15 set to come online soon, it’s reasonable to expect those E15 sales to continue trending in a positive direction.

Yet another reason for corn farmers to be proud of their investment is the fact that many E15 stations are located in the Twin Cities metro area. The majority of Minnesota drivers are in the metro, and a large percentage of them are unfamiliar with corn farming and ethanol.

By focusing initial investment in the Twin Cities area, corn farmers wisely targeting a densely populated region that is demanding cleaner air, more affordable fuel prices and choices at the pump.

To find out where you can fill up with E15, or other higher blends of ethanol fuels, go www.mnfuels.com.

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