The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition has announced that the number of E85 stations in the U.S. has now topped 18-hundred. That’s a 28-percent increase since October of 2007. And it all started with just 50 in 2001. Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri are the states with the highest number of E85 sites - but seven states - Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Alaska and Hawaii - do not offer E85.

National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition Executive Director Phil Lampert notes fuel retailers have a number of incentives to add E85 to their facilities. He says the spike is a direct reflection of the Federal income tax credit implemented in 2005. Lampert says the provisions of the 2007 Energy Bill that allowed franchise operators to install E85 fueling sites are also significant. He says the coalition is hopeful future federal actions will appropriate at least part of the 200-million authorized in the energy bill to assist with continuing to expand the E85 refueling infrastructure.

A list of E85 sites is available at www dot E85refueling dot com (www.e85refueling.com).