Half of US broke through ethanol ‘blend wall’ in 2015, new DOE figures show

Recent data from the US Department of Energy (DOE) shows that gasoline consumed in 25 states and the District of Columbia contained more than 10% ethanol on average in 2015, demonstrating that the so-called “E10 Blend Wall” continues to crumble. The national average ethanol blend rate was 9.91 percent according to the DOE data.

According to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the data completely undermine legislation proposed by Reps. Bill Flores (R-Texas) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) that suggests the gasoline market cannot withstand more than 9.7% ethanol content.

The data show that ethanol comprised 12.5% of the gasoline pool in Minnesota in 2015. Not coincidentally, ethanol flex fuels like  E85 are available at roughly one out of every eight stations in the Gopher State. In Iowa, gasoline contained an average of 11.5% ethanol in 2015, up from 10.3% in 2014 and just 9.5% in 2013. The 2015 data is the latest available and was just published by DOE’s Energy Information Administration.

Ethanol also exceeded 10% of gasoline consumption in 2015 in coastal states like California, Oregon, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and even Louisiana. For the first time ever, not a single state had average ethanol content below 9% in 2015, the data show. Vermont ranked last in average ethanol concentration at 9.18%.

In 2014, the national average ethanol content was 9.83% and 22 states (plus the District of Columbia) were above 10% on average.

RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen said the DOE data underscore that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is working as intended to drive increased use of ethanol and other biofuels.

“As E15 and ethanol flex fuels like E85 have gained in popularity in recent years, the so-called blend wall has been reduced to a pile of rubble,” Dinneen said.

He added: “This data clearly shows that the RFS is delivering on its promise to expand consumer access to lower-cost, cleaner fuel options at the pump. And with EPA putting the RFS back on track in 2017, the share of renewables in our nation’s motor fuel will only continue to grow.”