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NCGA pleased with biofuel infrastructure announcement

The president of the National Corn Growers Association says new funding to expand the use of biofuels like ethanol will benefit farmers, retailers, and consumers.

Iowa farmer Chris Edgington tells Brownfield, “it’s a great feeling to see the USDA helping us build out the infrastructure. They’ve done this one time previously with ethanol infrastructure and it will be well received in the retail community as they look to update their pumps and move into pumps that are able to handle higher blends of ethanol and stay cost competitive. This is a really good deal and then you tie it into the additional funds that will eventually be available through the Inflation Reduction Act and we’ll be able to make strides on improving the infrastructure in the ethanol industry.”

He says corn growers are pleased with the announcement.

“Ethanol is about 30 percent of our demand and so anything we can do to help improve infrastructure on one of our large demand drivers is good for us,” he says.

Edgington says ethanol is homegrown and renewable and can reduce the cost at the pump for consumers as well as help improve air and water quality.

The USDA is now accepting applications for $100 million in grants to increase the sale and use of biofuels. The funding is available through USDA’s Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program, which seeks to market higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel by sharing the costs to build and retrofit infrastructure such as pumps, dispensers, and storage tanks.

Audio: Chris Edgington