Sheetz, one of America’s fastest growing family-owned-and-operated convenience retailers utilized a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Biofuel Infrastructure Project Grant with the opening of its tenth E85 and E15 biofuel station in Virginia on Wednesday, October 26, 2016.
Through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership, which aims to increase the availability of domestic biofuel in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Sheetz located at 11774 Sudley Manor Drive in Manassas, Virginia, became the tenth gas station to offer E15 in the state of Virginia.
“Sheetz is proud to be a partner in the Biofuel Infrastructure Project Grant,” said Mike Lorenz, Sheetz Executive Vice President Petroleum Supply. “As we continue our reputation as an industry innovator and the ultimate one-stop shop, we are pleased to continue expanding the offering of E85 and E15, the new and innovative blends of fuel, to consumers in Virginia.”
An additional 10 Sheetz stores offering E85/E15 are planned for Virginia through this partnership. The Virginia project adds nearly 40 total stations in Virginia and Maryland and is an award to the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and supported by Virginia Clean Cities.
The Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership Grant, totaling nearly $5 million to install ethanol refueling infrastructure in Virginia and Maryland, brings greater access to ethanol fuels and gives Virginia and Maryland residents more access to a broader range of fuel options. As a significant private sector infrastructure partner, Sheetz has committed to offering E15 product at more Sheetz locations in the coming years.
“Virginia drivers now have cleaner and more affordable fuel choices thanks to the availability of higher ethanol blends at the pump,” said Michael Scuse, Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. “Now that projects across the country are starting to take shape, it is clear that the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership is working to increase access to renewable, American-made fuels that will help reduce our environmental impact and support rural economies.”
The Virginia–Maryland collaboration was the only multi-state proposal selected for award. This collaborative effort will result in greater access to fueling infrastructure across Virginia, by increasing the number of stations across the Commonwealth offering ethanol such as this Sheetz in Manassas.
