Lower-Carbon E15 Ethanol Blend Now Available in New York

(Renewable Fuels Association) E15, the low-cost, lower-carbon fuel blend containing 15 percent ethanol, is now available to drivers in New York state for the first time. One of the first locations offering E15 in the Empire State is the Dandy Mini Mart and Travel Plaza in Nichols, where drivers recently reported purchasing the fuel for $3.29 per gallon—20 cents below the price listed for regular gasoline.

“We are pleased to see that E15, the lowest-cost fuel available for standard vehicles, is finally becoming available to New York consumers,” said Geoff Cooper, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association. “Over the past year, E15 has typically been sold at a 20- to 30-cent per gallon discount to regular gasoline, meaning drivers are saving $3 to $5 every time they fill up with the fuel. At the same time, E15 lowers greenhouse gas emissions and tailpipe pollutants linked to poor air quality and health problems. The growing availability of E15 in New York is great news for the state’s motorists.”

The state of New York gave E15 fuel blends the green light in November 2019 after years of work by the Renewable Fuels Association and others to educate state regulators, policymakers, retailers, and consumers about the benefits of the fuel, Cooper said. Drivers in the state consume nearly 5.5 billion gallons of fuel every year, which already includes more than 500 million gallons of ethanol. A new study by economists at the University of California-Berkeley and elsewhere found the presence of ethanol in the U.S. fuel supply is responsible for reducing gas prices by as much as 77 cents per gallon in recent years. A move to E15 would further extend those economic benefits statewide.

New York is also home to RFA member Western New York Energy in Medina, a biorefinery that produces 65 million gallons of ethanol each year.

“Here at Western New York Energy, we have been producing high octane, low carbon fuels for over 16 years through the utilization of corn grown locally by farmers in New York,” said Tim Winters, President and CEO of Western New York Energy. “We strive every day to do our part to clean the air and lower emissions for New York, and we are pleased to see retailers in our state are beginning to recognize the environmental and economic benefits of higher ethanol blends for New York consumers.”

RFA has resources in place to assist retailers who wish to make E15 available and has worked with retailers across the country in the application process for the Higher Blend Infrastructure Incentive Program funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition, RFA's comprehensive E15 Retailer Handbook is designed to provide fuel retailers with regulatory and technical guidance in order to legally store and sell E15 ethanol blends. The handbook provides sample checklists and questions that all potential E15 retailers should contemplate before moving forward with offering E15.