Nebraska Corn Board's blender pump grant funds 50% allocated

Less than a month after announcing a new blender pump grant program, the Nebraska Corn Board said this week that it has received "a tremendous response," with half of the funds available in the program already being committed.

As part of its 2012-13 budget, the Nebraska Corn Board set aside $750,000 to further develop fuel ethanol infrastructure in Nebraska through the grant program. Grants provide fuel retailers up to $40,000 to help cover the costs of installing blender pumps.

“We have seen an incredible amount of interest from retailers from all across the state, from Lexington to Blair, including larger communities like Norfolk, Columbus, Omaha and Lincoln,” said Kim Clark, director of biofuels development with the Nebraska Corn Board.

“Blender pumps are a great way to support agriculture and renewable fuels in Nebraska, while offering motorists more choices at the pump. The grant money the Nebraska Corn Board offers helps offset some of our costs to install the pumps and is a great incentive to upgrade,” said Stephanie King-Witt, director of marketing, media and public relations of Bosselman’s Pump & Pantry.

Bosselman's used previous Nebraska Corn Board grant fundsto install blender pumps in Central City, Grand Island and St. Paul.

The company has also jumped at the opportunity the new grant program funds provide. 

David Merrell, a farmer from St. Edward, noted that Nebraska is the second largest producer of ethanol and the third largest producer of corn in the country. “We need to be able to use more of the products we produce right here in the state,” said Merrell, a member of the Nebraska Corn Board. “Blender pumps are a great way to increase the availability of ethanol, especially for those who drive flex fuel vehicles, and we’re seeing more FFVs on the road every day.”

The pumps also provide opportunities for stations to more easily offer E15, which is approved for use in all model year 2001 and newer cars, light-duty trucks and SUVs.

Seth Harder, general manager at Husker Ag, LLC, said, “We at Husker Ag feel that blender pumps are a necessary part of rural sustainability. The state of Nebraska has no traditional oil refining capacity, as most of the states in the upper Midwest do not. As such, we are subject to importing over 90 percent of our transportation fuel into the state. Blender pumps allow flexibility, choice and price control for the consumer.”