Nebraska Corn Board partners with Casey’s to offer higher ethanol blends

On May 17, 2019, Nathaniel Doddridge, director of fuels at Casey’s (at podium), joined Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Kelly Brunkhorst, executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board and the Nebraska Corn Growers Association (right) in proclaiming the month of May as Renewable Fuels Month at a pump promotion event at Casey’s in Bennington. The location was one of the first of the retailer’s stations in Nebraska to offer higher blends of ethanol.

Through a new partnership between the Nebraska Corn Board (NCB) and Casey’s General Stores (Casey’s), motorists in the state will have increased access to higher blends of American Ethanol. Through its blender pump incentive infrastructure program, NCB provided grant assistance to help Casey’s upgrade existing fuel pumps to offer Unleaded88, a 15% ethanol blend. Twelve Casey’s locations in Nebraska have been upgraded – nine in Omaha, one in La Vista, one in Papillion and one in Norfolk.

“In an environmentally-conscious world, filling up with ethanol is an easy way for us all to do our part for the planet and our overall health,” said John Greer, District 2 Director of NCB and farmer from Edgar. “Ethanol is a clean-burning, renewable fuel that is less toxic than traditional gasoline, which is good for our air. By investing in our ethanol infrastructure, we’re not only working toward a greener world, but we’re also saving consumers money while boosting Nebraska’s economy. Ethanol is a win for everyone.”

This isn’t the Ankeny, Iowa-based fuel retailer’s first venture into offering higher ethanol blends. This summer, Casey’s added Unleaded88 infrastructure to more than 60 of its locations. In Nebraska, the retailer also began offering E85 at its stores in Ogallala and Cozad.

“We’re offering Unleaded88 at more stores because our guests want it. The benefits of a lower price and higher octane are hard to argue with,” said Jake Comer, fuel pricing manager at Casey’s.

“Unleaded88, or E15, is the most widely tested fuel ever,” said David Bruntz, chairman of the NCB and farmer from Friend. “We know these fuels work well in vehicles and provide countless benefits. The Nebraska Corn Board has worked hard and will continue to work hard to ensure consumers have easy access to these options. We also applaud Casey’s for being an outstanding partner in this process.”

The twelve upgraded Casey’s locations are:

To find all local fuel retailers offering higher ethanol blends, visit getbiofuel.com.

In addition to its support of Casey’s, the NCB invested in eight other fuel retail locations across the state during this current fiscal year. Each year, fuel retailers wanting to upgrade to blender pumps can fill out a grant application to be considered for the program. For more information, contact the NCB by emailing NCB.info@nebraska.gov.