IA Seeks To Up Ethanol Content At Gas Pumps

KIOS | By Associated Press

Published April 28, 2022 at 3:52 PM CDT

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A 45-cent-per-gallon government subsidy for ethanol producers ended earlier this year, but there's still a mandate that forces refineries to blend ethanol with gasoline. Before the mandate, refineries used about half as much ethanol as they do today.

Iowa would be the first state in the nation to require that gas stations have pumps selling fuel with at least 15% ethanol under a bill that received final legislative approval Tuesday. When signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds, who initially proposed the mandate, the measure would give a boost to corn growers and the ethanol industry. Ethanol production consumes roughly half the state’s corn crop. Iowa leads the nation in corn and ethanol production. Most gas sold in Iowa and across the country now is blended with 10% ethanol.