In mid-2019, the EPA ended restrictions on sale of higher ethanol blends in parts of the U.S. in summer months. “The Cenex brand has always been a leader in the retail flexible fuel space,” says Akhtar Hussain, director of CHS refined fuels marketing. “The EPA decision was the catalyst we needed to make E15 more widely available throughout our Cenex retail network.”
Increasing availability
To meet customer needs, CHS requires Cenex branded retail locations to sell two grades of fuel. E15 can now be one of those grades since it’s available year-round.
The Cenex blend of E15 is available at the CHS refined fuels terminal in McFarland, Wis., and CHS is working with NuStar pipeline to bring E15 to 10 terminals in 2021 that supply fuel to Cenex retailers.
Breaking down barriers
In the past, making E15 readily available to retailers was difficult. “The steps necessary to sell E15 at a retail location are complex, costly and were a significant barrier for many Cenex branded locations,” says Hussain. “But now, we have removed those obstacles from our marketers to encourage E15 sales.”
One of those barriers is the requirement by E15 retailers to have an EPA-approved misfueling mitigation plan in place. The plan prevents consumers from using E15 for unauthorized purposes.
“CHS is the only refiner that has an EPA-approved misfueling mitigation plan covering its entire Cenex branded retail network, alleviating the need for independent Cenex retailers to perform this task on their own. That removes a significant barrier for Cenex retailers,” says Hussain.
Of the 1,450 Cenex locations across the U.S., about 50 now offer E15 and about 200 offer other ethanol blends of gasoline, and Hussain expects that number to grow.
“As the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative, expanding options for ethanol blended fuel is important for our Cenex branded retailers and our farmer-owners,” says Hussain.
Learn more about CHS and its commitment to renewable fuels.
