IARN — On August 19, Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $26 million to build infrastructure to expand the availability of higher-blend renewable biofuels by 822 million gallons annually in 23 states.
The USDA is making the awards under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program. The funding will help significantly increase the use of biofuels derived from U.S. agricultural products and prioritize climate-smart solutions that will help rural America build back better.
“Investments like these increase opportunities for American consumers to make climate-smart decisions and move the country closer to President Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” Maxson said. “By expanding the availability of higher-blend biofuels, we’re giving consumers more environmentally-friendly fuel choices when they fill up at the pump and stimulating an important market for U.S. farmers and ranchers.”
The announcement includes investments in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas and Wisconsin.
Through this program, USDA helps transportation fueling and biodiesel distribution facilities offer higher ethanol and biodiesel blends to customers by sharing the costs to install fuel pumps, equipment and infrastructure. For more information on the program, visit www.rd.usda.gov/hbiip.
