Trump Administration Invests Over $3.5 Million to Increase American Biofuel Sales in Florida
GAINESVILLE, Oct. 8, 2020 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Florida / U.S. Virgin Islands Rural Development State Director Phil Leary announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invested over $3.5 million in grants in Florida to increase American ethanol and biodiesel sales. These funds were made available through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) to recipients in 14 states. The initial $22 million in HBIIP investments are projected to increase ethanol demand by nearly 150 million gallons annually.
“Consumers should have choices when they fill up at the pump,” Phil Leary said. “Under the leadership of President Trump, investments such as these have expanded ethanol use by providing year-round E15, resulting in more demand for American farmers and lower prices for American consumers.”
USDA is funding projects in California, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Utah and Wisconsin. Here is an example of how this investment is helping Floridians:
- Southeast Petro Distribution will use a $3.5 million grant to replace and install 113 dispensers and 48 storage tanks at 26 fueling stations in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama. This investment is estimated to increase ethanol sales by 1.7 million gallons per year.
USDA plans on announcing the remaining HBIIP investments in the coming weeks.
The Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program helps transportation fueling and biodiesel distribution facilities convert to higher ethanol and biodiesel blends by sharing the costs related to the installation of fuel pumps, related equipment and infrastructure.
Eligible applicants are vehicle fueling facilities, including, but not limited to, local fueling stations/locations, convenience stores, hypermarket fueling stations, fleet facilities, fuel terminal operations, midstream partners and/or distribution facilities. Higher biofuel blends are fuels containing ethanol greater than 10 percent by volume and/or fuels containing biodiesel blends greater than five percent by volume.
For more information on USDA’s HBIIP Program, visit the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program web page.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
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