Last week, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz released his budget proposal for Fiscal Years (FY) 2024 – 2025 and incorporated several important priorities for the bio-economy. But if you didn’t read all the way to page 63 of the agriculture recommendations, you may have missed this important sentence: “E15/Unleaded 88 appears to be on its way to becoming the ‘new normal’….”

It is undeniably true that we are well on our way to meeting an ethanol blend rate of 15 percent. According to recent data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), Minnesota led the nation in 2021 with an ethanol consumption rate of 12.58 percent. Because ethanol cuts carbon emissions by nearly 50 percent compared to gasoline and is cheaper at the pump (E15 saves consumers an average of $0.10/gal), the higher we go, the higher the benefit to Minnesota’s environment and economy.

As this legislative session continues, MN Bio-Fuels will be working to secure biofuel infrastructure investment and the removal of regulatory barriers for higher ethanol blends because certainty in agriculture markets, lower fuel prices, and cleaner air should be the “new normal” in Minnesota.

MN BIO-FUELS STATEMENT ON GOV. WALZ'S BUDGET PROPOSAL

Gov. Tim Walz's budget proposal for FY 2024 and 2025 includes MN Bio-Fuels priorities related to expanding biofuel infrastructure and incentivizing the production of advanced biofuels.“We are pleased that Gov. Walz has proposed funding for Minnesota’s bio-based economy in his budget recommendations for the next biennium. The strong investments for biofuel infrastructure and advanced biofuel production will lead to fewer greenhouse gas emissions, lower prices at the pump, and more economic opportunity for farmers and rural communities. We look forward to working with legislators in both parties and the Walz administration to see these critical resources advance through the budget process,” said Brian Werner, executive director at MN Bio-Fuels. Read More

MN HAD HIGHEST ETHANOL CONSUMPTION RATIO IN 2021

Ethanol comprised 12.58 percent of all transportation fuel consumed in Minnesota in 2021, according to the latest data from the EIA. Minnesota's consumption ratio of 12.58 percent was the highest in the nation in 2021. Minnesota has consistently led the nation in ethanol consumption. Following Minnesota was Iowa with a consumption ratio of 11.6 percent. On a national level, ethanol consumption was 10.32 percent of all transportation fuel consumed in 2021, up from 10.24 percent in 2020. Read More

NEWS & BLOGS IN JANUARY