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Grants will help add blender pumps

Twenty-one states will receive USDA grants for infrastructure needed to supply more renewable fuel. U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the $100 million in grants will support nearly 5,000 pumps at over 1,400 fueling stations across the country.

“The 16 million flexible fuel vehicles that exist today in our vehicle fleet will potentially have opportunities to utilize more biofuel,” said Secretary Vilsack, during a conference call with reporters Thursday, “getting the environmental benefits, the job benefits and the farm revenue benefits,”

Typically, gas pumps deliver 10 percent ethanol fuel, but the USDA says the grants will more than double the number of stations offering intermediate blends of ethanol, such as E15 and E85.

During the call Thursday, Secretary Vilsack referred to an American Petroleum Institute study that claims the RFS will result in gas prices up to $92 a gallon.

“The fact that they come out with a study that just on the face of it is absurd suggests that they understand the significant role the biofuel industry is playing in providing a competitive, level playing field for consumers, for producers, for those who are interested in domestically produced fuel sources and feedstocks,” said Vilsack.

The 21 states receiving the grants along with the estimated number of pumps:

Colorado 28

Florida 892

Illinois 428

Indiana 110

Iowa 187

Kansas 174

Louisiana 110

Michigan 89

Minnesota 620

Missouri 171

Nebraska 80

North Carolina 190

North Dakota 90

Ohio 148

Pennsylvania 308

South Dakota 74

Texas 763

Virginia-Maryland 191

West Virginia 107

Wisconsin 120

TOTAL 4880

AUDIO: Tom Vilsack (15 min. MP3)