Iowa’s renewable fuels infrastructure program awards record number of projects
Iowa Renewable Fuels Association
April 2, 2025
BY Iowa Renewable Fuels Association
On March 25, Iowa’s cost-share Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) awarded almost $3 million in grants for Iowa fuel retail locations to add E15 to 111 retail sites throughout the state. This is the highest number of projects awarded to date, on track to meet the E15 Access Standard deadline of Jan. 1, 2026. In addition to the grants today, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced they have already received 145 applications to be considered at the next RFIP board meeting.
“The record interest we’ve seen since new rules were established last year solidifies the importance behind making E15 a standard option at the pump,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw. “With grants awarded to date, that is over $10 million on an annualized basis. The program continues to help retailers offer higher blends of biofuels, ensuring that consumers have the opportunity to save some extra coin at the pump while maintaining a solid market for farmers. To keep up with this momentum, it is crucial that the legislature adds more funding through the next fiscal year to ensure every Iowa retailer can offer E15.”
In addition to the 111 E15 grants, RFIP awarded two biodiesel grants, one retail grant to offer B20 and one for a fuel distribution terminal to offer biodiesel blends to retail customers. To date, the program has distributed over $57.7 million, which has leveraged an even greater amount of private funds, to help fund ethanol and biodiesel infrastructure across Iowa. The program has led to millions of dollars of private economic investment and hundreds of new stations offering higher blends of biofuels at the pump.
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