Cheap ethanol in Iowa Springs tomorrow
Photo by laffy4k. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.
We don't write about Iowa much unless ethanol is involved. Whether it's an proposed ethanol pipeline or ethanol pump label laws, the Hawkeye State is tied to corn ethanol. This post will be no different. In fact, the news here is unsurprisingly similar to an announcement that seems to cross our wires every month or so: cheap E85 at one particular gas station for a few hours.
The details for tomorrow are that a Prairie Gas station in Newton, Iowa will sell E85 for $1.85 a gallon between 2 and 5 pm on Monday. The sponsors include GM, Kum & Go and other likely suspects (full list after the jump). These kinds of promotions will continue throughout the summer, but we'll only be really impressed if a national cheap ethanol day can be organized, if only because that'd be a twist we haven't seen before.
Press announcement:
Green Fuel Savings Spring Forth At Prairie Gas Monday
With gas prices near record highs, owners of flex-fuel vehicles in Newton, Iowa will be lining up for E85 for $1.85 a gallon from 2-5 p.m. on Monday, March 24 at the Prairie Gas station. Located at 4300 S. 22nd Avenue, just off busy Interstate Highway I-80 in Newton, Iowa, the E85 promotion at Prairie Gas is one of the first of many station events and biofuel promotions expected in the upper Midwest this season.
"As gasoline and oil prices rise, so does interest in alternative fuels like E85," said Jessica Zopf, program manager for the Iowa Clean Air Choice Team. "While many people are attracted by the price, other drivers are committed to using a less polluting, largely renewable fuel that's made in the United States."
The event is sponsored by the Iowa Clean Air Choice Team: General Motors, Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, Kum & Go, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Stores of Iowa, Iowa Soybean Association, National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, Iowa Biodiesel Board and American Lung Association of Iowa.
[Source: Bob from ALAMN]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
A.Brien 7:14PM (3/23/2008)
If there is no water in it, it may be a good deal for flex-fuel vehicule owners.
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MikeW 10:50PM (3/23/2008)
How well would E70 keep?
Do you have to put 30% of the Stabil that you would put into straight gasoline?
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GreyFlcn 11:57PM (3/23/2008)
Not too surprising, E85 is almost always sold at firesale prices.
http://greyfalcon.net/e85stations.png
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GreyFlcn 12:00AM (3/24/2008)
Wups.
http://greyfalcon.net/e85stations2.png
And the usual
http://greyfalcon.net/iowa2
http://greyfalcon.net/iowa
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Niralisherni 7:33AM (3/24/2008)
Another city trying to do its bit for the environment is Santa Rosa. Popular Science called it "Tapping Geysers for Watts," and in an article described how 12 million gallons of wastewater the city pumps to the steam fields daily gets converted into 85 megawatts of power, enough to power 85,000 homes.
http://www.zapworld.com
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Bob Moffitt (Bob from ALAMN) 9:01AM (3/24/2008)
A national E85 promotion is a good idea, Sebastian. Perhaps we could start with a regional promotion in the six Midwestern states covered by my organization.
Why promote E85 in Iowa? Well, in spite of the fact that Iowa has more corn and more ethanol plants than almost any other state, they don't have as many E85 outlets as MN, IL or WI. We are working hard to change thta, and expect they will reach the 100 station mark this year.
These type of events -- more than anything else -- encourage FFV owners to try E85. Onece they try the cleaner-burning fuel, many stick with it.
It's working. E85 sales in Iowa have been growing at a very healthy rate, I'm pleased to say. Sales are up about 48% from the same time last year.
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champ 10:24AM (3/24/2008)
FYI, In Des Moines, Iowa this morning, the going rate on E10 (10% ethanol - 90% gas) is $2.999. Iowa subsidies ethanol, and almost every gas station sells the E10 89 octane gas cheaper the 87 octane, 100% gasoline because of those subsidies.
The national news was reporting that the cheapest gas nation wide was somewhere in Wyoming a couple weeks ago. The price they quoted was less than the 87 octane gas in Des Moines, but the E10 89 octane was cheaper. I bet they were only comparing the 87 octane prices, and not truly the cheapest gas nation wide.
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Bob Moffitt (Bob from ALAMN) 10:51AM (3/24/2008)
Midwestern states that use E10 (like MN and IA) historically have among the lowest gasoline prices in the USA. It's $2.97 a gallon (all grades are E10) near my house, E85 is selling for $2.57 a gallon around the corner.
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KEVIN 7:33PM (3/24/2008)
That would be nice ( A NATIONAL CHEAP DAY FOR ETHANOL)
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