Grainnet

Saint Paul, MN--According to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, the nation's 1,000th station selling the alternative fuel E85 is a Cenex station at 320 3rd Street NW in Bemidji, a city of 13,000 in northern Minnesota.

"Frankly, we have had so many stations opening lately that determining which is the 1000th E85 outlet in the United States is a challenge," said Tim Gerlach of the Minnesota E85 Team, a public/private partnership that promotes E85 use in the state.

"It is terrific to recognize Bemidji, but it might have just as easily been a Holiday in St. Louis Park or a Kwik Trip in Rochester or a Spur in Duluth. All are important and none more so than the next.

"In Minnesota, many flex-fuel vehicle owners now have a station near where they live or work, and that's really boosting sales."

Minnesota has nearly 300 E85 outlets, more than any other state or province in North America.

Minnesota drivers are also the nation's leading users of E85, buying an estimated 2.3 million gallons in August 2006 and expected to buy 20 million gallons by the end of the year.

E85, designed for use in flex-fuel vehicles, is a blend of up to 85 percent ethanol and just 15 percent gasoline.

Like gasoline, the price of E85 varies, but in Minnesota the high-octane fuel is typically less expensive than 87-octane regular gasoline, according the American Lung Association of Minnesota spokesperson Robert Moffitt.

"Next Thursday in Mankato, E85 will be even less expensive -- 99 cents a gallon," Moffitt said.

"The Holiday Station at 1901 Adams is celebrating an international clean fuel event called the AFV Day Odyssey by offering E85 for less than a buck from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on October 12."

For more information, call 651-269-7561.

See Related Websites/Articles:

• American Lung Association of Minnesota

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