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St. Paul, MN - Some may debate the economic, environmental and national energy security benefits of moving toward wider use of bio-based motor fuels, but Minnesota has forged ahead by adding more than 60 new E85 fueling sites in just seven months. The North Star State is now home to more than 250 E85 stations with another 20 expected by mid-August. On average, two new E85 outlets have opened every week since January.

The state leads in per-capita use of the biofuels, ethanol and biodiesel, and is expanding its E85 fueling network at a tremendous pace. If trends continue, Minnesota motorists will purchase 15 million gallons or more in 2006 -- up from just 2.6 million gallons in E85 sales in 2004. Today in Minnesota, some 270 million gallons of ethanol and 16 million gallons of biodiesel are replacing petroleum in ten percent ethanol-blended gasoline (E10) and in two percent biodiesel-blended diesel (B2), respectively.

E85, designed for use in flex-fuel vehicles, is a cleaner-burning blend of up to 85 percent ethanol and just 15 percent gasoline. Like gasoline, the E85 prices will vary, but the high-octane fuel is typically less expensive than 87-octane regular gasoline -- 43 cents per gallon less on average over the first six months of this year. Drivers may experience 15 to 18 percent lower fuel economy with E85 due to its lower energy density and the 'flexible' design of flex-fuel vehicles, which can run on any blend of E85 and gasoline.

Since 1998, when the state was selected by the US Department of Energy as a pilot market, the effort to develop E85 has been spearheaded by a public- private partnership, called the Minnesota E85 Team. "Each partner has its own reasons for supporting E85, but we all realize we're stronger working together than separately," said Tim Gerlach, outdoor air director for the American Lung Association of Minnesota and leader of the Minnesota E85 Team. "For the American Lung Association, the reasons to support a renewable-based, cleaner fuel are clear -- motorized vehicles and the fuels that power them are the single largest source of air pollution."

"Other Midwestern states have more corn and they may produce more ethanol, yet we were first to develop a successful model for promoting the growth of biofuels," said Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Gene Hugoson. "The future for E85 is bright. Sales are up sharply, production efficiencies and crop yields continue to increase, and we're finding new uses and markets for ethanol co-products."

SOURCE: American Lung Association of Minnesota