Gov. Heineman & Ag Leaders Encourage Nebraskans to Pump E85

New Phone Apps Help Locate Pumps

(Lincoln, Neb.) Governor Dave Heineman and state ag leaders are encouraging Nebraskans to utilize E85 fuel the next time they are at the gas pump with a flex fuel vehicle. To help located E85 filling stations, new phone apps are available for Nebraskans.
The Governor was joined by Nebraska Agriculture Director Greg Ibach, Tim Scheer Chair of the Nebraska Corn Board and Todd Sneller Executive Director of the Nebraska Ethanol Board to discuss the economic impact of the ethanol industry in Nebraska.
“E85 allows consumers to utilize a quality Nebraska grown and produced product,” Gov. Heineman said. “E85 continues to gain popularity across our state and country – allowing us to continue to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
There are currently 86 E85 filling locations in Nebraska. E85 is a blend of fuel including 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent unleaded gasoline. Flex fuel vehicles can operate on any blend of ethanol and ordinary unleaded gasoline up to 85 percent ethanol. There are approximately 180,000 flex fuel vehicles registered in Nebraska. Approximately one in ten drivers owns a flex fuel vehicle.
Nebraska is the second largest ethanol producer in the nation. Nebraska is home to 24 operating ethanol plants that produce nearly 2 billion gallons of ethanol annually. These plants employ around 3,000 people across the state. Ethanol production also provides an additional marketing opportunity for Nebraska’s 23,000 corn producers. 
“As our corn producers work to harvest their crops this year, they are met with a number of challenges including wet fields that delayed harvest. There is also a larger than anticipated domestic corn inventory from last year’s harvest, which has forced corn prices to some of the lowest levels we’ve seen recently,” Dir. Ibach said. “Nebraska’s ethanol plants are providing our corn producers with additional opportunities to sell their grain and in return Nebraska is gaining a tremendous renewable fuel source.”
Gov. Heineman encouraged the nearly 180,000 flex fuel vehicle owners in Nebraska to continue to support the ethanol industry by purchasing E85 for their vehicles, and using new phone apps to locate E85 availability. Two apps are available for android and apple operating systems. The “Flex-Fuel Station Locator” app was developed by the Renewable Fuels Association. This app allows consumers to find the most up-to-date E85 locations across Nebraska and the United States. The “Flex Finder” app assists in locating the nearest E85 pumps and allows consumers to search a database of vehicles capable of operating on different blends of ethanol.
“The number of E85 pumps across Nebraska continues to grow, and there are phone apps that make it easy for consumers to find the pumps nearest them,” Gov. Heineman said.
Nebraska is well positioned for continued success with key industries creating the “Golden Triangle.” In industry terms, the Golden Triangle refers to the interconnectedness between the corn, ethanol and cattle feeding sectors. All three work together to create increased value for the raw corn commodity, as after corn is processed into ethanol and the important byproduct, distiller grains, is a quality livestock feed used by Nebraska’s vast cattle feeding sector.
This year Nebraska became the number one cattle feeding state in the nation. According to the Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska also produced a record corn crop last year and is on pace for the second largest crop this year at an estimated 1.58 billion bushels. Ethanol production consumes approximately 32 percent of Nebraska’s corn supply annually, and livestock consuming approximately 25 percent.
“I’d like to thank Gov. Heineman and Director Ibach for their efforts in promoting renewable fuels and E85,” said Tim Scheer, a farmer from St. Paul, Nebraska and Chair of the Nebraska Corn Board. “In Nebraska, our economy is strengthened by agriculture, especially through our Golden Triangle of corn, ethanol and livestock. The synergy of these industries expands demand for Nebraska corn, provides a valuable feed product for our livestock industry and offers economical, renewable fuel choices for our consumers.”
“Nebraska’s economy is deeply interwoven with the ethanol sector,” said Todd Sneller, Nebraska Ethanol Board Executive Director. “Nebraska is currently producing 250 percent of its motor fuel needs in the form of ethanol. Recent University of Nebraska studies describe a significant economic bounce in the state’s economy when the ethanol sector is fully operational. It is in the best interests of Nebraskans and Americans to insist on wise state and federal fuel standards that support domestically produced and renewable fuel sources like E-85.”   
For more information, please visit www.nebraskacorn.org and www.ne-ethanol.org. Omaha metro area pump location is available at www.E85Omaha.com.