Governors' Biofuels Coalition

A Citgo station in Kissimmee, Florida, served as the stage for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement of the specific grants going to 21 states, distributing a total of $100 million in the Biofuels Infrastructure Program. Adding the matching commitments by state and private entities, the program is investing a total of $210 million to nearly double the number of fueling pumps nationwide that supply renewable fuels. An earlier announcement named the 21 states. In Florida’s ceremony, Vilsack announced the dollar awards to each state.  USDA anticipates 1,486 stations will install 4,880 pumps and 515 tanks as part of the infrastructure partnership.

“This major investment in renewable energy infrastructure will give Americans more options that not only will suit their pocketbooks, but also will reduce our country’s environmental impact and bolster our rural economy,” Vilsack said in the event at Mid-State Energy’s Citgo station near Orlando, the first to offer E85 and E15 in the area. “The Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership is one more example of how federal funds can be leveraged by state and private partners to deliver better and farther reaching outcomes for taxpayers. The volume and diverse geographic locations of partners willing to support this infrastructure demonstrate the demand across the country for lower cost, cleaner, American-made fuels. Consumers will begin to see more of these pumps in a matter of months.”

Growth Energy’s Tom Buis praised Vilsack as a friend of the renewable fuels industry. “Just six months ago, this was an idea on a piece of paper. Today, we are seeing firsthand the implementation of this program to increase market access for cleaner, homegrown, renewable fuels. The speed with which this program has been implemented clearly demonstrates that USDA and its state and private sector partners can indeed make good things happen.”

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