E15 & E85 Volumes Hit Record Highs in Minnesota
E85 prices averaged $2.67 per gallon, or 21% below the average price of $3.40 per gallon for regular gasoline. E15 prices averaged $3.24 per gallon, representing a 5% discount to regular gasoline.
The data shows 468 retail stations in the state offer E15 and 458 stations sell E85, averaging out to more than one out of every five retail stations in the state offering one or both blended fuels. Taking into account those stations that did not report E15 and E85 volumes to state agencies, total estimated sales were 168.5 million gallons of E15 and 19 million gallons of E85.
The Environmental Protection Agency recently approved year-round sales of E15 in eight Midwestern states, including Minnesota, after an unexpectedly lengthy petition process. However, the new rules won't come into place until 2025, meaning that without action from Washington, D.C., as of June 1, Minnesota retailers offering E15 will have to stop selling the fuel for the remainder of 2024.