On Monday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will release obligated funding under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) for 543 projects totaling $537 million in 29 states. This includes new projects approved within the first 100 days of the Trump Administration.

Secretary Rollins made the announcement during an event in Atlantic, Iowa – a state that leads the nation in ethanol and biodiesel production, with 42 ethanol plants capable of producing over 4.7 billion gallons annually and 10 biodiesel plants with the annual production capacity of 416 million gallons.

NEFI applauds the decision to release these grants. NEFI has strongly supported this program throughout its history. Several NEFI members had been informed that they would receive a grant award this cycle and have been waiting for the funding to be released. Many other NEFI member businesses have benefited from the HBIIP grants in the past, as well.