Grants awarded to 23 locations through Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program

Photo: Jenna Higgins Rose, Iowa Biodiesel Board

Twenty-three Iowa locations in 16 different counties were awarded more than $1.1 million in cost-share grants from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program during the latest quarterly application cycle.

The RFIP helps fuel retailers provide higher blends of lower-cost, Iowa-grown biofuels to consumers by incentivizing the installation, replacement and conversion of ethanol and biodiesel dispensing and storage infrastructure.

Incentives to upgrade biodiesel terminal and storage facilities are also available.

While the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship manages the program, a board appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Iowa Senate determines grant allocations on a quarterly basis.

“We want consumers to spend less at the pump, and increasing the usage of higher ethanol and biodiesel blends is one big way for Iowans to save money,” said Mike Naig, Iowa’s secretary of agriculture. “The Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program continues to be highly successful at helping retailers install new infrastructure so that consumers across the state can easily utilize lower-cost and cleaner-burning Iowa-grown biofuels.”

Locations in 16 Iowa counties received cost-share grants, totaling more than $1.1 million for renewable fuels infrastructure upgrades during the last quarterly meeting of the RFIP board.

Counties with locations receiving grants includes the following: Johnson, Pottawattamie, Jasper, Winneshiek, Dubuque, Polk, Black Hawk, Benton, Adair, Union, Lucas, Scott, Muscatine, Carroll, Calhoun and Woodbury.

The complete list of locations can be found here.

The RFIP was appropriated $10 million in funding for the current fiscal year as a result of transformational biofuel legislation that was passed and signed into law during the 2022 Iowa legislative session.

To date, $4.95 million of that funding has been awarded to 102 biofuel infrastructure projects.

The program leverages significant private investment by the participating fuel retailers.

The Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Fund Board is expected to meet two more times to make awards for this fiscal year.

The RFIP grant application is available on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s website.

The breakdown of the funding for this fiscal year, so far, is as follows:

• $270,000 to six E85 projects

• More than $3.1 million to 64 E15 projects

• $1.25 million to 26 biodiesel projects

• $300,000 to six biodiesel-terminal projects

Over the history of the program, the state has invested approximately $60 million while private industry has invested over $200 million.

To learn more about the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program, visit the program’s webpage on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s website.