(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is expected to sign a bill into law at around 10-a.m. today (Tuesday), that establishes an IOWA Renewable Fuels Mandate. Legislators provided some exceptions for small gas stations and those that have older equipment. However, most Iowa gas stations with storage tanks and pumping systems that can handle higher blends of ethanol will have to offer E-15 from at least one pump by 2026.

New gas stations that open after January 1st of 2023 will have to sell E-15 from at least half of their dispensers. Governor Reynolds first proposed the concept last year and, after changes, it got bipartisan approval in the legislature this spring — with 123 legislators voting for it. Just 16 legislators voted against the bill. One critic said forcing a business to sell a product violates the principles of free enterprise. Backers designed the bill to boost sales of soybean based biodiesel as well.

Any diesel fuel pumps installed after January 1st of next year will have to be able to dispense diesel that contains 20 percent of a soybean-based additive. It’s called B-20. Federal records indicate there are about three-thousand gas stations in Iowa and about 300 stations sell E-15 according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. B-20 is sold at about 100 locations in the state.