Secretary Naig Announces Grants for 48 Projects to Bolster Access to E15, Biodiesel in Iowa

Secretary Naig Announces Grants for 48 Projects to Bolster Access to E15, Biodiesel in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa (Oct. 7, 2025) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) Board recently approved an additional 48 grants, totaling more than $1.86 million, to support new and expanded biofuel infrastructure projects. 

These cost-share investments help drivers save money by providing expanded access to lower cost and cleaner burning homegrown biofuels like biodiesel and E15 (Unleaded 88). The grants were awarded by the RFIP Board during its quarterly meeting on Sept. 16.  

The 48 approved projects are located in 25 different counties and total $1,864,344.37 in state cost-share. 

A complete list of the projects, sorted by county, is available here. 

“We are helping to make affordable, cleaner-burning options like E15 and biodiesel more widely available which, in turn, provides Iowans with more ways to stretch their dollars at the pump. These infrastructure investments boost our economy, strengthen rural communities, and keep Iowa moving forward with cleaner, more affordable energy,” said Secretary Naig. “As the nation’s top biofuel producer, Iowa is also uniquely positioned to put more of our homegrown energy to work right here in our own communities.”

Since the cost-share grant program began in 2006, the Department has invested more than $65 million toward expanding renewable fuels infrastructure within Iowa. This has been matched with approximately $275 million by Iowa convenience stores and fuel retailers.

These ethanol investments are also helping more Iowa fuel stations come into compliance with the E15 Access Standard. Iowa is the first state to enact an E15 Access Standard, which requires most fuel retailers to offer E15 by Jan. 1, 2026. The law was passed by the Iowa Legislature and signed by Gov. Reynolds in 2022. For those convenience stores and fuel stations that need assistance coming into compliance, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship can provide cost-share funding through the RFIP. 

With additional cost-share funding available, the Department welcomes grant applications to assist more fuel stations in improving and upgrading infrastructure. Applications are available at iowaagriculture.gov/IRFIPand the deadline for consideration at the next quarterly meeting is 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 5, 2025.