(Des Moines) An Iowa House committee unanimously approved a bill Tuesday that would delay requirements for gas stations to install fuel dispensers that can handle fuel blends with higher amounts of ethanol.
House Study Bill 742 would modify a 2022 law that says new gas stations and those that are updated must use dispensers that are compatible with E85, a blend that is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Instead, new dispensers must be compatible with at least E15 until next year, then E40 until 2030, then E85 thereafter under the modification.
The law is meant to ensure easier transitions to higher ethanol blends in future years, but some gas station owners have worried about their abilities to obtain the dispensers.
A similar bill in the Senate was approved by a committee last month.
“It’s really important for us to support our farmers, our agricultural industry, and therefore support this good piece of legislation,” said Rep. Sami Scheetz, D-Cedar Rapids.
More than half of the corn produced in Iowa is used to make ethanol, and Iowa is the top ethanol-producing state.
By: Jared Strong
