Iowa and Nebraska, the nation’s two largest ethanol-producing states, are launching a joint effort to “rebrand” gasoline pumps nationwide with stickers promoting the American Ethanol brand.
Kelly Brunkhorst, executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board, says the project stems from the past five years of partnership with NASCAR and the pro stock car racing circuit’s use of E-15 fuel.
“This American Ethanol brand has really started to stand out as a very recognizable brand within NASCAR,” Brunkhorst says. “As states work in partnership with NASCAR through this, we thought this was a great opportunity to continue that brand awareness, now on pumps.” The plan is for stickers with the red-white-blue and green logo to be placed on gas pumps nationwide that offer the ethanol blends.
Brunkhorst says this initiative will help provide consumers with a consistent experience at the pumps, whether they choose E-10, E-15, E-30 or E-85. “As consumers pull up to the pump, they can see that American Ethanol brand and that American Ethanol label and understand the value it brings to them,” he says. “As they travel across the United States, they’ll be able to consistently see this label on blends, especially in states that require labeling such as Nebraska and Iowa, and they’ll know the consistency of a home-grown, renewable-based biofuel that’s grown right here in Nebraska and Iowa.”
Brunkhorst says the stickers are already going out to hundreds of retailers. “For those retailers who haven’t submitted their requests for those new, updated American Ethanol labels, they can just go to Nebraska-Corn-dot-org,” he says, “and there’s a form they can fill out and submit to us and we’ll get them sent out.”
Iowa is the nation’s leading ethanol maker, producing 3.8 billion gallons a year, while Nebraska is second with more than two-billion gallons a year. Iowa has 42 ethanol plants and Nebraska has 24.
By Jerry Oster, WNAX, Yankton
