The Renewable Fuels Association thanked fuel retailer Sheetz for its decision to slash prices on higher ethanol blends for a full week ahead of the Independence Day weekend. RFA said the move by Sheetz not only provides great cost savings for drivers facing record-high pump prices, but also offers a smart way to educate consumers about the environmental and energy security benefits of E15 and flex fuels like E85. Sheetz is offering E15 for $3.99 per gallon and E85 for $3.49 at all of their 350-plus stations that sell the fuels, which cover multiple states. The national average price for regular gasoline yesterday was $4.87 per gallon, according to AAA.
Just in time for the busy holiday weekend, RFA also released a new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document today, aimed at answering the most common consumer questions about E15 and dispelling prevalent myths about the fuel.
“At a time when American families are feeling unprecedented pain at the pump, we applaud Sheetz for this innovative effort to demonstrate and promote ethanol’s enormous cost-saving benefits,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “In recent months, ethanol has been selling for $1-1.50 per gallon less than gasoline at wholesale terminals where fuel is blended. We thank Sheetz for passing along the benefits of ethanol’s lower cost to consumers and for supporting renewable fuels and the rural economy.”
Cooper noted that the Sheetz promotion is perfectly timed, as the month of July marks the 10-year anniversary of the first gallon of E15 being sold, at a retail station in Lawrence, Kansas. “We’ve come a long way since July 2012, when that first gallon of E15 was pumped at the Zarco 66 station in Lawrence,” Cooper said. “Today, there are roughly 2,600 stations across the country selling E15 and more than 5,500 stations selling flex fuels like E85, with new stations being added on an almost daily basis. More than 2 billion gallons of E15 have been sold over the past 10 years, and consumers have traveled more than 55 billion trouble-free miles on the fuel. This Fourth of July, we encourage all Americans to declare their independence from dirty foreign oil by choosing homegrown, lower-cost ethanol blends like E15 and E85.”
According to Sheetz President and CEO Travis Sheetz, the E15 and E85 promotion ” …was something that we wanted to do. It was just an opportunity, we thought, to give back and also to drive some awareness around these alternative fuels that we think are great options for people.”
E15 is sold in 30 states and is approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for cars and other light-duty vehicles manufactured after model year 2000, along with all flex fuel vehicles (FFVs), which collectively represent more than 96 percent of the vehicles on the road today. E85 fuel is permitted for use in FFVs only.