CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the 21 states who will receive funds to help magnify the availability of biofuels to consumers. The announcement was made during a trip to the University of Illinois where Vilsack toured fields growing experimental biofuel crops.

The initiative will pour $100 million into states who then must create an equal match using a combination of state and private funding to expand the number of pumps where consumers can purchase blends such as E15, E85 and E30. 

“If the pumps aren’t available, people can’t buy the product even if they are looking for it,” Secretary Vilsack said. 

The grants will help support the installation of 5,000 new pumps at more than 1,400 fueling stations, creating buying opportunities for the more than 16 million flex fuel vehicles currently on the road.

The list of states in line for the funds isn’t limited to the Corn Belt: Florida and Texas combined are targeted for funds that will help install more than 1,500 new pumps in the two states alone. Other states selected to receive funds are Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Typical pumps only deliver up to 10 percent ethanol. Based on studies conducted by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), consumers are purchasing 135 billion gallons of renewable fuels in the United States. While demand for biofuel and higher percentage blends grows, current availability has created a wall that won’t be surpassed unless alternative fuels are more readily available at the pump. 

“We need to have higher blend alternatives available for the fleet of vehicles created by Detroit,” Vilsack said. The investment by the USDA couldn’t come at a more opportune time, according to Vilsack. 

“Crop prices are low, demand is up, and more biofuel production and sales lends to a balanced fuel portfolio for the country.”

Economic impacts of the biofuel energy are significant, and its ripple effects through the economy, especially in rural America, are only expected to grow. Vilsack noted that the industry has a $184 billion impact on the U.S. economy and supplies more than 850,000 jobs and $46 billion in wages while reducing emissions by 9 percent.

The American Petroleum Institute has tried to kill the RFS with a targeted ad campaign, theorizing that the price of raw petroleum could jump to $92 per barrel if the RFS is continued. 

“I don’t understand where the opposition comes from,” Vilsack said. “Consumers are supportive of biofuels, and producing them is not creating a food crisis. We hope that our legislature continues to be supportive of biofuels.”

“The Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership is one approach USDA is using to aggressively pursue investments in American-grown renewable energy to create new markets for U.S. farmers and ranchers; help Americans save money on their energy bills; support America’s clean energy economy; cut carbon pollution; and reduce dependence on foreign oil and costly fossil fuels.”