The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Thursday announced that 21 states will get funds under the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) for the installation of fuel pumps and related infrastructure needed for the distribution of higher ethanol blends such as E15 and E85.
The goal of the financing programme is to increase the use of domestically produced renewable fuels. The BIP grants will support 4,880 new pumps, according to a preliminary list, including 892 in Florida, 763 in Texas and 620 in Minnesota.
The specific funding amounts per state have not yet been announced.
In the US a typical gas pump delivers fuel with 10% ethanol, also known as E10, which restricts the amount of renewable energy consumers can buy at the pump. The USDA said it estimates that the BIP investment will more than double the number of domestic stations offering intermediate blends of ethanol, mainly the E15 blend, across the country.
The BIP programme was announced in May 2015, offering USD 100 million in grants. It has received applications for over USD 130 million already. The funds from the USDA need to be matched by separate states.
Provided by SeeNews exclusively for Essentica.
