The executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says he’s “stumped” by the results of a new report on ethanol sales. Monte Shaw says Iowa Department of Revenue figures for September show Iowa motorists chose E-10 only 71% of the time when fueling up.
That’s down from 75% in 2008 and is 9% below the national average. Shaw says he’s not sure why fewer Iowans are using E-10, a blend of 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol.
“I honestly don’t have an answer to it,” Shaw said. “Ethanol is widely available and it’s priced pretty attractively at the pump. So, it’s really kind of one of those head scratchers.” E10 is typically a few pennies cheaper per gallon than regular unleaded fuel. In 2006, the Iowa Legislature adopted a program designed to spur ethanol gasoline sales.
“I think (the report) tells us that our current program is not working,” Shaw said. “If Iowa wants to be a leader in ethanol sales…than we need to rethink things and probably take a much more aggressive approach.” Iowa leads the nation in renewable fuels production with 40 ethanol refineries capable of producing 3.3 billion gallons annually.
