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Committee advances E15 infrastructure bill amendment; House File 43 laid over
Summary
House File 43 (biofuel infrastructure grants) was amended to expand eligible retail dispensing site counts and was laid over. Supporters said expanded E15 access saves consumers money, increases ethanol sales and supports farmers.
Chair Anderson presented House File 43, a bill that funds and expands the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s biofuel infrastructure grant program that supports retail upgrades to dispense higher‑ethanol blends (E15, marketed as E88). The bill as amended raised the retail‑site participation cap from 15 to 20.
Brian Werner of the Minnesota Biofuels Association and Amanda Bilic of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association testified in support, citing program metrics and consumer savings. Werner said Minnesota surpassed 500 retail stations offering E15 (about 25% of 2,000 statewide stations) and cited 2024 statewide E15 sales of about 142,000,000 gallons — an 11% increase over 2023 — and an average price discount of about 17¢ per gallon last year. Chair Anderson estimated 2024 consumer savings statewide of roughly $22,700,000 from increased E15 usage.
Program history and funding details provided in testimony and committee staff analysis: - The program has awarded about $9,500,000 in grants (over multiple rounds) with grantee matching of about $11,600,000 in private investment. - The bill’s appropriation language proposes $4,500,000 in each fiscal year; the department’s base for this appropriation is $3,000,000, so the bill would represent an increase of $1,500,000 above base for the upcoming biennium (nonpartisan staff clarification).
Representative Vang asked whether expanding the retail‑site cap would allow chains to reapply if their number of eligible sites grew; Chair Anderson said expanded site thresholds could make more locations eligible and that grantees could apply for additional eligible sites. Representative Frederick asked about whether prior appropriations had been fully used and whether the program was reaching smaller retailers; testimony said the program has driven private investment and increased E15 availability, and staff noted the department evaluates applications to balance geographic distribution.
Action: Chair Anderson moved an A1 amendment (increasing retail dispensing sites from 15 to 20); the committee adopted the A1 amendment by voice vote. The bill as amended was laid over for possible inclusion in a budget bill.
Ending: Members noted federal funding uncertainty for a federal biofuels infrastructure program and emphasized the state program’s role in increasing supply, consumer savings and rural economic benefit. Chair Anderson renewed the motion to lay the bill over and it was laid over.
