Iowa ag secretary presents 2024 Renewable Fuels Marketing Awards to Hy-Vee, Reif Oil Co.

From left, Naig presents the ethanol marketing award to Joel Allen and Joe Weber, both of Hy-Vee. Due to inclement weather, a representative from Reif Oil was unable to attend the meeting to accept the biodiesel marketing award. (Photo: Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship)

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig presented the 2024 Renewable Fuels Marketing Awards to two fuel marketers that have gone above and beyond in their efforts to promote and sell renewable fuels within Iowa.

Naig presented the biodiesel marketing award to Reif Oil Co. and the ethanol marketing award to Hy-Vee the during the FUELIowa legislative conference held Jan. 9 in Des Moines.

“Many Iowa families are like mine with multiple drivers on the road, and I know it makes a big difference to a family budget to be able to access lower-cost fuel options, including higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel,” Naig said. “Not only are we proudly leading the nation in ethanol and biodiesel production, but we have many great retailers across the state, including Hy-Vee and Reif Oil Co., who are providing consumers with more options and significant cost savings on every fill-up of these homegrown biofuels.”

Reif Oil, which is headquartered in Burlington, Iowa, was founded in 1978.

Since then, the company has taken significant steps to add increasingly more biodiesel options to its retail and wholesale portfolio—including offerings through Reif’s Fast Break convenience stores located in Westland, West Burlington, Iowa City, Mediapolis, Muscatine, Mount Pleasant and Fort Madison.

In addition to biodiesel distribution at its company-owned stores, Reif Oil supplies its dealer network throughout Iowa, Illinois and Missouri with biodiesel produced in the state of Iowa.

Reif Oil offers seasonal biodiesel blends of up to B20 to its retail and wholesale customers in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri and has incorporated on- and off-site blending facilities into its store and wholesale portfolio.

Iowa-based Hy-Vee first started selling ethanol products in 1997, when it opened its first fueling station in Muscatine.

Since 2018, the company has added E85/E15 fuel options to each new and updated location, providing consumers with a lower-cost and lower-carbon option.

Today, Hy-Vee has 191 Fast & Fresh stores in eight Midwestern states selling ethanol-blended fuels that may include E15, E30, E85, 87 E10, 89 E10, 91 E10 and 93 E10.

Eighty-five Fast & Fresh stores are located in Iowa, with 21 of the stations selling E85 and 18 selling E15.

Hy-Vee has participated in the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program, which is administered by the department, and has eight sites approved for ethanol-equipment upgrades to offer E15.

Hy-Vee is currently in the process of applying for 10 additional USDA Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) 2024 grants.

Iowa’s renewable fuels industry continues to enjoy strong momentum.

Iowa leads the nation in the production of ethanol and biodiesel and is the first state in the country to have an E15 standard.

According to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, the industry accounts for nearly $7.2 billion of Iowa gross domestic product, generates $3.5 billion of income for Iowa households and supports more than 57,000 jobs.

Since the launch of the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program, which is administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the state has invested approximately $75 million toward expanding renewable fuels infrastructure.

This is on top of the more than $225 million that has been invested by participating retailers.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program offers cost-share grants to help fuel retailers with the installation, replacement and conversion of motor-fuel storage and dispensing infrastructure for E85 ethanol blends, registered E15 ethanol blends and biodiesel from equipment that is B20 compatible.

The program also provides grant incentives to biodiesel terminal and storage facilities.