During the 2022 legislative session, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a biofuels bill into law that would require gas stations in the state of Iowa to carry E15. As Illinois looks to increase ethanol availability in the state, Illinois Corn Director of Biofuels and Research Dave Loos said they are not looking to follow in Iowa’s footsteps. Instead, he says they are offering incentives to stations that offer ethanol blends at the pump,
“We’re providing a sales tax incentive in Illinois, there’s no mandate for petroleum marketers to carry it. With the incentive from USDA with funding available to help pay for the installation for upgrades on their facilities,” said Loos. “We think the two working together will increase the offerings to consumers in Illinois and the benefits that consumers can realize from lower prices from E15 at the pump.”
The Revenue Omnibus package, which includes the ethanol tax incentives would reduce the percentage of retail sales tax by ten percent for E15 blends, 20 percent for mid-range blends, and 100 percent for majority blended ethanol fuels such as E85.
