Colorado Corn

EPIC has been busy focusing on creating individualized blender pump programs and educating retailers, station owners and consumers about the benefits of having available blends of ethanol-enriched fuel at the pump. EPIC has recently partnered with several organizations to create blender pump programs in two states, with several more states in progress.

The South Dakota Corn Utilization Council (SDCUC) partnered with EPIC to launch the first blender pump program in the nation with its debut on May 1, 2008 in the state of South Dakota. The program provides financial assistance for the installation of blender pumps, along with branding, marketing and public relations support. The program has funding available for 45 applicants and has received a total of 44 applications to date.

In order to educate the masses about the South Dakota Blender Pump Program, there was also a free educational clinic offered at the offices of the South Dakota Corn Growers in Sioux Falls, S.D. This educational clinic was held Tuesday, August 26, 2008 with a total of 25 people participating. To get more information about the South Dakota Blender Pump Program, visit the link below and follow the South Dakota Webinar link.

“I am pleased with the results we have encountered thus far and I feel this is a wonderful opportunity for this country to increase its energy independence and provide clean, renewable fuel for consumers,” said Sara Courter, alternative blends coordinator at EPIC.

The second successful blender pump program is the Kansas Blender Pump Program, which launched on August 18, 2008. In conjunction with the Kansas Corn Commission (KCC), EPIC hosted an online webinar for those interested in learning more about the program on October 1, 2008. The webinar was free and open to the public and featured valuable information regarding availability of financial assistance, promotion and marketing efforts, equipment requirements and how to increase sales. It was mainly geared towards retailers and station owners, but anyone interested in learning more information could register. 70 people registered for the Kansas Blender Pump Webinar, with 40 viewing the webinar live. If you missed the webinar, visit www.DrivingEthanol.org/Kansas and follow the link.

“I look forward to implementing and developing similar programs in more locations throughout the country, “said Courter. “This program is a great opportunity to increase awareness and demand for consumers driving flex-fuel vehicles, while also giving them more choices at the pump.”

For more information on any of the blender pump and educational webinar programs, contact Sara Courter, alternative blends coordinator at 402.932.0567 or SCourter [at] DrivingEthanol [dot] org.