Growth Energy backs Ohio Turnpike E15 access bill

Ohio had 192 retail fuel locations selling E15, less than 4% of the state’s estimated 5,833 fuel outlets, and Growth Energy on June 2 threw its support behind a bill that would put the blend at all 14 Ohio Turnpike service plazas.

The trade group filed comments with the Ohio House Transportation Committee backing House Bill 773, which would require fuel stations on the turnpike to offer E15. Growth Energy said the blend, made with 15% ethanol, sells for about 30 cents less per gallon on average and is approved for use in 96% of cars on the road today. Chris Bliley, senior vice president at Growth Energy, argued that Ohio drivers should have access to the same lower-cost fuel already common in parts of the Midwest, especially in a state with a large corn and ethanol base.

The bill was introduced March 18 by state Reps. Josh Williams of Sylvania Township and Roy Klopfenstein of Haviland. The sponsors said the Ohio Fuel Affordability Act would strengthen rural economies, create jobs and reduce reliance on foreign energy. Klopfenstein said Ohio has seven ethanol plants that buy 233 million bushels of corn each year from more than 5,300 family farms, while only about 200 of the state’s more than 5,000 gas stations sell E15. The sponsors also said E15 is typically more than 25 cents cheaper than conventional gasoline and is compatible with 9 out of 10 vehicles on the road.

Under the proposal, the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission would have to contract with authorized fuel retailers to make E15 available at service plazas by July 1, 2027. The bill would treat installation or retrofitting costs as turnpike projects eligible for funding through turnpike revenues, bonds, state taxes or federal grants. It also would require annual progress and cost reports starting before July 1, 2027, plus a feasibility study within 12 months on expanding biodiesel infrastructure at turnpike service facilities.

The access push lands on a corridor that is open 24 hours a day and spaces service plazas roughly every 30 to 50 miles, which makes signage, pump placement and physical availability as important as price. Turnpike fuel prices are already kept within 3 cents of the off-turnpike average, so the fight in Ohio is less about whether E15 can be sold and more about whether motorists can actually reach it when they are on the road.