Monday, August 30, 2010

Volume 1, Issue 18

Growth Energy Market Development Grants Available

Don't forget! Growth Energy's Market Development team is now offering funding to retailers to assist in ethanol blender pump infrastructure. Grants of $2,500 and $5,000 are now available on a first come, first serve basis to vendors who wish to install new or convert existing equipment for ethanol fueling. We are focusing on areas that are outside the Mid-west that have no additional state grants available.

We are providing a $5,000 grant for a blender pump that dispenses E30 and E85 and up to $2,500 for an E85 dispenser. You can find the two page OUTLINE of the Infrastructure Development Program by clicking here. To review the APPLICATION for the funding, click here. For questions regarding the program, please contact the Market Development office at (573) 635-8445.

Read Growth Energy's blog posts on RenewableEnergyWorld.com

Featured Links

• See if Your Vehicle is Ethanol Blend Compatible
• Find an Flex Fuel Station in Your Area

Iowa Station Owner Outlines Experiences with Installation of a Blender Pump

Jim Harskamp believes in ethanol fuel and believes in blender pumps. He installed a blender pump that sells 20, 30, 40 and 85 percent ethanol fuel about a year and a half ago at his gas station, Coop Gas & Oil at153 N Main Ave. in Sioux Center, IA. Harskamp has no regrets.

“Having a blender pump gives consumers a choice at the pump,” noted Harskamp. “Installing this pump was a no brainer.”

Read More >>

Growth Energy Partners With Rocky Point Citgo to Offer High Level Blends of Ethanol in New York

Growth Energy has joined forces with Rocky Point Citgo to introduce another E85 fueling facility in the state of New York. Rocky Point Citgo is located at 557 RTE 25 A, in Rocky Point, NY and has opened an E85 pump with assistance from Growth Energy’s 2010 E85 and Blender Pump Program.

“It’s exciting to see more retailers in the Northeast installing high level ethanol fueling pumps,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis. “We are pleased to assist Rocky Point Citgo in their efforts to provide motorists with greater fuel choice at the pump.”

Read More >>

Grand Forks Latest N.D. Location With Mid- and High-Level Blends of Ethanol

Grand Forks, North Dakota is now offering flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) owners the choice at the pump. The Valley Dairy station at 2401 S. Columbia Road is offering ethanol blends of E20, E30, and E85.

According to the American Lung Assn. of North Dakota, a grand opening celebration will be held Aug. 24 and 25 at the Grand Forks facility. A ribbon cutting will take place at 10 a.m. on Aug. 24 and ethanol-blend fuel discounts on Aug. 25 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. During the promotion, E85 will be priced at $1.85 a gallon, the price of E30 will be discounted by 30 cents, and the price of E20 will be discounted by 20 cents. There will also be in-store specials throughout the week.

Read More >>

Op-Ed: Ethanol for America

For more than two years, a coalition of strange political bedfellows has done all it can to derail the advancement of the U.S. ethanol industry. These opponents of ethanol have engineered a well-orchestrated campaign that has misled and misinformed the American public about ethanol and its impacts and benefits – particularly when it comes to the American farmer’s ability to grow enough corn for food, feed and fiber.

With recently published reports from the World Bank and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it’s important to remind our friends in the media, policymakers and the public about those facts and the overall importance and benefits of ethanol. These new reports definitively and absolutely demolish the distortion that there is some sort of “food-versus-fuel” debate; these new reports conclusively state there is no competition between grain for ethanol, and grain for food.

Read More >>

Valero Corner Store Begins Selling E-85 Fuel

Valero Energy Corp. has announced today that one of its company-owned Valero Corner Stores in San Antonio has begun selling E-85, a blend of fuel consisting of up to 85% ethanol blended with unleaded gasoline. E-85 is approved for use in flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs), which continue to grow in popularity with buyers of new cars and light-duty trucks.

Valero also announced plans to continue introducing sales of E-85 at new Valero Corner Stores as they’re built. The stores will continue selling all grades of gasoline and diesel fuel at its locations.

Read More >>

Growth Energy to Participate in Shaping Texas’ Fuel Ethanol Policy this Sept.

The Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association (TREIA) has been bringing decision makers and industry leaders together in Texas for more than 26 years to build the foundation for developing renewable energy.

TREIA has long believed that renewable fuels could be a major economic development play in Texas – The Energy State. Gasoline sold in the highly populated areas of the state is already blended with up to 10% ethanol as an oxygenate. That blending requirement alone consumes millions of gallons per year. Is Texas producing that ethanol in-state? Or are we sending money outside to acquire it? What are the E-85 opportunities? What new technologies are on the horizon? These questions and many others will be addressed when the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association presents

Read More >>

Growth Energy Partners with Russell Oil Company to Offer High Level Blends of Ethanol in Marion

Growth Energy has joined forces with Russell Oil Company to offer E85 fuel at ROC One Stop in Marion, Ill. ROC One Stop, located at 309 Deyoung Street, installed the pump with funding through Growth Energy’s 2010 E85 and Blender Pump program.

“We are pleased to work with Russell Oil to build out ethanol fueling infrastructure to give more Flex Fuel Vehicle owners access to high levels of ethanol,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis. “There are Flex Fuel Vehicles out there that have never run on anything but conventional gasoline because they don’t have access to mid and high level ethanol. Through our grant program we are working to change that reality by giving consumers a choice at the pump that includes clean, renewable ethanol.”

Read More >>

$17K in Free E85 Fuel to be Offered at Kentucky State Fair

Thorntons, Inc., a leading, independent gasoline/convenience-chain retailer carrying E85 fuel throughout the Midwest, is teaming up with the Kentucky Corn Growers Association (KyCGA) and the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition (KCFC) to give away $17,000 in free E85 fuel at the 2010 Kentucky State Fair.

From August 19 until August 29, flex fuel vehicle owners can visit the Kentucky corn Shack, under the Great Kentucky Cookout Tent, to pick up free E85 fuel gift cards. The first 106 who stop by the shack each day will receive a $5, $20 or $100 promotional card. These cards can be used at any of the 11 Thornton’s E85 fueling facilities in Kentucky and Southern Indiana – including the nine in the state of Kentucky, two of which will be open by the end of August. You can find the listing of these stations at www.E85Refueling.com.

Read More >>

Growth Energy Partners with Bridgehampton Service Station to Offer High Level Blends of Ethanol

Growth Energy has joined forces with Bridgehampton Service Station to introduce another E85 fueling facility in the state of New York. Bridgehampton Service Station at 2148 Montauk Highway in Bridgehampton has opened an E85 pump with assistance from Growth Energy’s 2010 E85 and Blender Pump Program. Earlier this month, Growth Energy assisted with the installment of four other E85 stations in Long Island.

“We are pleased to partner with Bridgehampton Service Station to provide greater access to high level blends of ethanol for New York drivers,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis. “Increased consumption of ethanol will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, clean our air and help create jobs in Bridgehampton and across the country.”

Read More >>

Biofuel station opens in Oakland

The first day of a free alternative fuel giveaway started Tuesday with a trickle of motorists lured in by curiosity and the promise of a bargain: Five free gallons of biodiesel or an ethanol-based blend called Flex Fuel.

“It’s an incentive for drivers to stop,” said Emily Shellabarger, a spokeswoman for Propel, the Sacramento-based fuel company that opened a self-serve fueling dock at a Chevron station at 350 Grand Avenue.

Read More >>

Member Spotlight – GROWMARK

GROWMARK recently renewed its membership within Growth Energy Market Development. GROWMARK is a regional cooperative providing agriculture-related products and services , as well as grain marketing in 21 states and Ontario, Canada.

GROWMARK owns the FS trademark, which is used by affiliated member cooperatives. The FS brand represents knowledgeable, experienced professionals acting with integrity and dedication to serve more than 100,000 customers. This Agricultural supply cooperative started over 86 years ago as a viable source or supplier for fuel in the Midwest. GROWMARK operates in four main territories, which started in WI, IL and IA, they have since branched out into OH, MI, IN, OK, AR, NE, SD and. ND. More information is available at www.growmark.com

Read More >>

New and Renewed Growth Energy Market Development Members

Aurora Cooperative
Frontier Travel Plaza

Read More >>

New E85 and Blender Pump Stations

There are currently a total of 2,235 E85 stations and 208 blender pump stations

New E85 and blender pumps as of the last newsletter:

** Represents blender pumps

Read More >>

Letters to Growth Energy

This section highlights emails and letters to Growth Energy. Send your comments and letters to marketdevelopment@growthenergy.org.

Dear Growth Energy,

What Is E85? Why don't you do some advertizing so the public knows what E85 is?

Thank you,
Paul

Paul,

Thank you for your suggestion! Consumer Education is definitely an ongoing challenge, in which there are consumers who know little or nothing about E85. Most gasoline today contains a blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline. E85 represents just about the reverse — a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Because of the higher content of ethanol in E85, it can only be used in Flexible Fuel Vehicles, which are designed to operate efficiently on any percentage of ethanol-blended gasoline between 0 and 85 percent. Your owner’s manual or dealership can tell you if it is an FFV. Each Flexible Fuel Vehicle has sensors that detect the blend of ethanol and adjust fuel delivery and combustion accordingly. Each vehicle’s gears are designed with the intent that they are compatible with ethanol.

There are more than 2,200 E85 stations today and 200 blender pump stations (blender pumps carry any blends between E10 up to E85 with mid level blends like E20, E30, E50). For a full listing of E85 stations, go to EthanolRetailer.com/e85finder.

Growth Energy continues to offer consumer education through our website and makes educational material available to retailers in our online store.

— Growth Energy Market Development

Events Calendar

To submit a Calendar item, email marketdevelopment@growthenergy.org.

GrowthEnergy represents the producers and supporters of ethanol who feed the world and fuel America in ways that achieve energy independence, improve economic well-being and create a healthier environment for all Americans now!