Des Moines, Iowa — A bill designed to increase the availability and sales of gasoline with a 15 percent ethanol blend has cleared the Iowa House.
Governor Kim Reynolds proposed an Iowa Renewable Fuels Standard a year ago, but it stalled. House Speaker Pat Grassley spoke with reporters right after the revamped bill passed on an 82-to-10 vote.
Uncertainty about the federal Renewable Fuels Standard spurred development of this state plan. Republican Representative Lee Hein of Monticello says much of Iowa’s corn crop is destined for ethanol.
If the bill becomes law, stations installing new underground storage tanks after January 1st of next year would be required to sell E-15. The requirement to sell E-15 would go into effect for all stations in 2026. The bill does include mandatory waivers for small gas station owners who show they cannot afford the equipment upgrades required for higher ethanol blends. Representative Mary Wolfe a Democrat from Clinton, says the waivers are key.
This was the first bill to be debated in the full House this year and House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst emphasizes it passed by a wide, bipartisan margin.
The bill also calls for tank upgrades to spur sales of B-20 — biodiesel with a higher percentage of a soybean-based additive. Marinas with just one fuel tank are exempt from the proposed requirements. The bill now goes to the Senate.
