Casey’s General Stores has partnered with the Nebraska Corn Board (NCB) to increase access to higher blends of American ethanol.
Through its blender pump incentive infrastructure program, NCB provided grant assistance to help Casey’s upgrade existing fuel pumps to offer Unleaded88, or E15. Twelve Casey’s locations in Nebraska have been upgraded — nine in Omaha, one in La Vista, one in Papillion and one in Norfolk.
“In an environmentally-conscious world, filling up with ethanol is an easy way for us all to do our part for the planet and our overall health,” said John Greer, district two director of NCB and farmer from Edgar. “Ethanol is a clean-burning, renewable fuel that is less toxic than traditional gasoline, which is good for our air. By investing in our ethanol infrastructure, we’re not only working toward a greener world, but we’re also saving consumers money while boosting Nebraska’s economy. Ethanol is a win for everyone.”
This isn’t the Ankeny, Iowa-based fuel retailer’s first venture into offering higher ethanol blends. This summer, Casey’s added Unleaded88 infrastructure to more than 60 of its locations. In Nebraska, the retailer also began offering E85 at its stores in Ogallala and Cozad.
“We’re offering Unleaded88 at more stores because our guests want it. The benefits of a lower price and higher octane are hard to argue with,” said Jake Comer, fuel pricing manager at Casey’s.
“Unleaded88, or E15, is the most widely tested fuel ever,” said David Bruntz, chairman of the NCB and farmer from Friend. “We know these fuels work well in vehicles and provide countless benefits. The Nebraska Corn Board has worked hard and will continue to work hard to ensure consumers have easy access to these options. We also applaud Casey’s for being an outstanding partner in this process.”
In addition to its support of Casey’s, the NCB invested in eight other fuel retail locations across the state during this current fiscal year. Each year, fuel retailers wanting to upgrade to blender pumps can fill out a grant application to be considered for the program.
